MOE Deputy Minister Lu Mu-lin said the decision was in accordance with the law and resolutions passed by the Legislature. "The ministry will submit a plan for restoration of the name and reuse of the original plaque to the Council for Cultural Affairs and the Taipei City Government," he explained.
Commemorating late President Chiang Kai-shek, the landmark structure took four years to build and was officially opened in 1980. But in an effort to bid farewell to Taiwan's authoritarian past and commemorate the nation's democratization, the previous Democratic Progressive Party administration renamed it National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in May 2007.
The structure was inaugurated under its new name later that year, and the Chinese inscription "Da Zhong Zhi Zheng" above the main gate, which alludes to Chiang's name, was changed to "Liberty Square." The honor guard was also withdrawn.
Prior to the 2007 renaming, the Cabinet drafted an organic act intending to effect the name change, and at the same time, approved a proposal to abolish the Organic Act of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. But the Kuomintang-dominated Legislature subsequently passed a resolution to overrule the name change. And in December 2008, the KMT administration rescinded the organic act supporting the renaming.
On Jan. 13, while reviewing the government's annual budget for 2009, the Legislature passed another binding resolution requiring the MOE to restore the original CKS Memorial Hall plaque as early as possible.
Last August, MOE Minister Cheng Jei-cheng said he would not consider changing the name back unless a ministry-organized public forum reached consensus in favor of restoration. However, no such event was ever arranged. Deputy Minister Lu said this was because opinion leaders believed a public forum would only serve to escalate tensions between opposing political camps. As for the "Liberty Square" inscription above the hall's main gate, Lu stated that it stands as proof of the development of democracy and freedom in Taiwan and would not be removed.
Along with the memorial's name change, the ministry announced that the honor guard had returned to the hall Jan. 24. Sun Teh-hsin, captain of the honor guard, said he was happy to see soldiers reinstated at the memorial. "The honor guard had been here for almost 30 years," he said. "Now we are back and all of us are moved by this moment."
Sun noted that the 10-minute changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Unlike before, when each of the three armed forces performed alternately, rotating every three to four months, the ceremony is now performed by a mixed guard from Taiwan's three services.
Lu said restoring the CKS Memorial Hall plaque is expected to cost NT$1 million (US$29,650), with the honor guard financed out of the Ministry of National Defense's annual budget.
Write to Ellen Ko at ellenko@mail.gio.gov.tw