Minister Without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) has suggested that the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall be converted into a new Legislative Yuan. The idea is that housing the government branch there would be a potent symbol of Taiwan’s democratic achievements while also solving the problem of where to relocate it.
Chang’s suggestion has raised eyebrows on both sides of the political divide, yet surely we should be asking ourselves: Rather than continuing to lease the current, tired-out building, is it not time that the nation was equipped with a new building that truly symbolizes its flourishing democracy?
Legislatures symbolize the democratic ideals of their nations. For this reason, in democracies, the most sumptuous state architecture is always reserved for the legislature.
The most famous such building is the US Capitol, which enjoys a commanding position atop the highest ground in that nation’s capital.
Modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, the building has archetypal neoclassical architecture that oozes grandeur and commemorates history. Americans view the Capitol as the ultimate symbol of their country’s representative democracy.
Located on the north bank of London’s River Thames, the UK’s Palace of Westminster is the definitive example of Gothic Revival architecture and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It is the most representative of all of Britain’s state buildings in addition to being a famous tourism site.
Other examples are the legislative buildings of Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, which, if not the most prominent buildings in these countries’ capital cities, serve as important cultural and architectural landmarks.
After the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government retreated to Taiwan, constructing a new legislative building was not a top priority. The yuan was housed in an old elementary-school building from the Japanese colonial era.
Every year, the Legislative Yuan must pay the Taipei City Government NT$52 million (US$1.68 million) to lease the building.
Each time a large-scale demonstration takes place, the plaque at the main entrance is torn down by protesters, injuring the dignity of the nation’s legislature; it is a significant problem.
Due to the principal of legislative independence and legal safeguards, prosecutors wishing to conduct a judicial search within the yuan must first obtain the permission of its speaker.
In addition to the main building that houses the legislative chamber; legislators’ offices, dormitories and staff offices that cover the area around Qingdao E Road and Zhenjiang Street also fall within the legislature’s confines.
Following negotiations at the time, a consensus was formed that all legislators’ offices and dormitories protected by police should be within the confines of the legislature. However, due to the New Party legislative caucus’ refusal to endorse the consensus, it was abandoned.
Many Taiwanese are probably unaware that 26 separate legislative buildings are guarded by the police. This is a huge waste of resources and a situation rarely seen outside of Taiwan.
Legislatures symbolize the essence of democracy; they are temples to the sovereignty of the people’s power. In order to firmly establish the authority of the sovereign Legislative Yuan and to increase the respect and trust of the public, constructing a new yuan building should be the prime objective of all politicians and political parties.
Lo Chuan-hsien is an adjunct professor in the Department of Law at Central Police University and a former director-general of the Legislative Yuan’s Legislative Bureau.
Translated by Edward Jones
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