The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall plaque was reinstated Monday at one of Taipei's principal landmarks, while the Liberty Square plaque was left in place, a move that a Ministry of Education official said should appease both sides of the controversial issue. 'We believe that this compromise arrangement will contribute to social harmony,' said Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin. Lu was referring to controversy over the designation of the hall, dedicated in 1980 to commemorate the late President Chiang Kai-shek, who is regarded by some to have been a dictator and the culprit behind the tragic 228 Incident of 1947. In May 2007, then-President Chen Shui-bian of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) renamed the memorial hall the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, and an inscription on the main gate to the complex in downtown Taipei was also changed to Liberty Square from the original Tachung Chihcheng, which translates as Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness. Lu said the previous government's renaming of the memorial hall was controversial and did not meet legal requirements. 'In line with the provisions of a number of laws, including the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act and the Basic Organic Law of Central Administrative Agencies, the Ministry of Education (MOE) needed to reinstate the Chiang Kai- shek Memorial Hall plaque removed by the DPP, to protect the dignity of our laws,' Lu explained. To avoid interruption or disturbances by opponents, police had been deployed at the site since the previous night, with barbed wire and barricades erected at major entrances to the complex. Lu said the plaque replacement project would cost NT$1.1 million (US$33,333). After the reinstatement of the original name plaque, Lu went on, the contents of an exhibition room featuring artifacts and documents related to the late president will also be rearranged. 'We will follow the principles of pragmatism, diversity and truth in presenting the late president's life story and career achievements, ' Lu said, adding that the exhibition will highlight Taiwan's democratic spirit, as well as its cultural and ethnic diversity. Lu further said the dismantled Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall plaque will be properly preserved in the hall's storage house just like the Tachung Chihcheng plaque that was removed earlier. The replacement work immediately drew a broadside from the opposition camp, with DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen saying her party could not agree with the government's use of national resources to commemorate a dictator who ordered a brutal massacre of Taiwanese people during the 228 Incident. Tsai said the plaque replacement also marks the bankruptcy of President Ma Ying- jeou's credibility because he had promised that his government would hold public forums to discuss the issue before taking any concrete actions. Tsai said the Ma administration did not follow democratic procedures in resuming the hall's name. In response, Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi said Ma has not backed off from his promise, as the MOE has organized three seminars to solicit opinions from various sectors. 'Opinions expressed during those sessions supported the replacement of the plaque,' he added. Meanwhile, Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin said the MOE has followed due process of law in carrying out the name plaque replacement project. 'The Executive Yuan will continue to direct all government agencies to hear the voices of various political groups, ' Su said, adding that open-mindedness is the best way to forge social consensus. 