Reported by: Yang Shuei-Yong at County Hall
The unveiling ceremony of the Plaque Commemorating the Formation of the Kinmen County Bus and Ferry Management Office (BFMO) was held on the first-floor main lobby of the Jincheng Station yesterday (the 3rd). It was jointly unveiled by Magistrate Chen Fu-Hai and the participating distinguished guests and representatives, commemorating the 66th anniversary of the “Kinmen Motor Transportation Co. Ltd. (private bus service)” and its operators for improving military and civilian transportation. It also righted a wrong, reestablishing a little-known story about the private bus service. Magistrate Chen represented the BFMO to express gratitude to Kinmen’s citizens, and acknowledge the contribution of the private bus service for Kinmen’s transport development. Family members of the private bus operators in those years were pleased to see a happy ending of this little-known history, and believed that their ancestors would feel proud and comfortable in heaven!
The plaque unveiling ceremony commemorating the BFMO formation was held at 9:00 am yesterday. Director Syu Ming-Fong of the Kinmen Traditional Music Hall led the orchestra to start the event with three Nanyin songs; the unveiling ceremony was jointly conducted by Magistrate Chen Fu-Hai, Director-General Chen Mei-Ling of the Tourism Department, County Councilor Chen Cang-Jiang, Director Syu Yi-Jie of Bus and Ferry Management Office, Mayor Shih Jhao-Min of Jincheng Township, representative of the original shareholders of Kinmen Motor Transportation Co. Jheng Wun-Hua, and staff representative of Kinmen Automotive Company Jheng Huo-Yan, witnessed in a warm atmosphere by waiting passengers at Jincheng Station.
Founded in May 1st, 1963, the Kinmen County BFMO was first called “Bus Management Office of Kinmen”; its predecessor was “Kinmen Motor Transportation Co. Ltd.” (KMTC) founded in 1952 by private citizens Yan Si-Chuan and Jheng Jian-Ciou. In response to the government's call to improve military and civilian transportation, they raised funds to start the private bus service, purchasing several buses to run bus lines around the island for more than a decade, making a major contribution and benefitting numerous military personnel and civilians.
The BFMO stated that in 1963, the Kinmen Military Administration Commission (KMAC) allocated funds to form the “Bus Management Office of Kinmen.” Under the circumstances at that time, the government had no intention to acquire buses from the private company, resulting in the cessation of the operation of the company and a huge loss to its shareholders. As Kinmen was under military administration, to quickly resolve local military and civilian transportation needs, the authority forced the private bus company that had been running for a decade to cease operations, and took back right-of-way, causing a difficult transformation of the private business, the shutdown of the company, and huge losses to its original shareholders.
Magistrate Chen said that half a century ago, Kinmen was under the stress of war and military administration; during that time, people dared not express an opinion against anything the military authority said. Fifty-five years ago, private businessmen formed the bus company to solve the needs of transportation; however, in those days, people were at the lower end of pecking order for any changes of government policy; national security was the first priority.
Over the years, Jheng Wun-Hua, the representative of original shareholders of the privately-owned KMTC, has endeavored to set up a commemorative plaque. Magistrate Chen said that this is only to seek justice and recognize the actual facts. Nowadays the government promotes transitional justice; it is particularly necessary for Kinmen. Especially as for both sides of the Taiwan Strait, actual war only broke out in Kinmen. Many issues in those days have not been understood by the current government, including the return of land to the people. Things will be much easier to tackle if the government can take the perspective of the people.
On behalf of the BFMO and local compatriots, Magistrate Chen conveyed their gratitude for the contribution of KMTC, and emphasized that the historical facts will definitely be restored with courageous efforts; he would not hesitate to provide assistance for the cause of promoting transitional justice. He also hoped that through this commemorating plaque, the fact of people suffering injustice treatment 55 years ago could be restored and revealed to the public. For many injustices and instances of unfairness, historical evidence will restore the truth and the government will bear its due responsibility.
In addition, the magistrate pointed out with emotion that had the government taken the perspective of the people and considered their livelihood as the priority, this would not be an issue today. He stated that he would boldly take action on whatever he believed was right, and the priority would always be in the interests of his fellow countrymen.
Representative of original shareholders of KMTC Jheng Wun-Hua (son of Jheng Jian-Ciou) stated that the history of KMTC had been buried for 55 years; all the research and verification of historical documents for the past two years were mainly to pursue the establishment of a commemorative plaque. Today, this unknown history finally comes to a happy resolution, which also reflects the true spirit of transitional justice.
Recording the event on the scene, Jheng Bi-Jhen, the third daughter of Jheng Jian-Ciou, recalled that her father converted the buses into trucks for his employees to use for a living, helped them to get private loans, and shouldered the monthly payments for them; when the employees did not have the money to fill their tanks, it was also her father who paid for them. Jheng Bi-Jhen said that her family later moved to Taiwan, leaving her alone in Kinmen where she worked at the Kinmen Credit Cooperative Bank to repay her father’s debts. She still feels tears in her eyes when she thinks of those days.
After the unveiling ceremony, an exhibition of precious related photos at Jincheng Station is scheduled for a week starting from yesterday, so that people can have more understanding of the beginning of Kinmen’s public transportation during wartime. The BFMO Director Syu Yi-Jie also invited the public to commemorate the benevolence of their predecessors.
BFMO announced that apart from providing free bus services to the public who register their households in the County, the County Government commits itself especially to the promotion of welfare policy for the county residents, to commemorate the difficulties experienced when private bus operators started their businesses 66 years ago and the sacrifices they made as company shareholders. To let future generations learn the lesson and not allow the disregarding of civilian rights take place again, as happened during the military administration, and to safeguard transitional justice, related historical archives were retrieved to restore the historical facts of the suspension of the private bus company 55 years ago and the formation of the BFMO. A commemorative plaque is hereby erected to remind future generations of the benevolence of our predecessors.