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Drop old office title, group asks

Three activists from the Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan yesterday urge officials to change the sign hung on the Presidential Office's entrance from Chiehshou Hall to Presidential Office, as written on their handmade sign. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

The Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan yesterday called on the Presidential Office to change the sign hung on the Presidential Office Building's entrance from Chiehshou Hall (介壽館) to Presidential Office to make the building worthy of its genuine name.

The alliance members yesterday brought a large homemade sign reading Presidential Office to the Presidential Office Building.

The alliance's director, Peter Wang (王獻極), said that the name Chiehshou Hall was a pernicious influence left by autocrat Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) that should be eliminated in a democratic era.

Wang said that one renovation of the Presidential Office Building concluded in 1949, which coincided with Chiang's 60th birthday. The renovated building was renamed Chiehshou, a term used to express birthday wishes of longevity.

Wang said the name Chiehshou Hall symbolized that the office was one of Chiang's numerous personal villas and halls.

"People should eliminate the myth that the country was supposed to belong to a certain party or a certain family, because Taiwan has had three direct presidential elections since 1996," Wang said.

Renovation of the Presidential Office Building will be completed before Oct. 10, Wang said, so this is a good opportunity to scrap the Presidential Office's old name.

The alliance asked Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to accept the tablet, but Su did not appear because of other business. Presidential Office public relations chief Mary Chen (陳瑪莉) accepted the alliance's sign and said she would pass the group's suggestion on to Su for further action.
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