Last summer, then-Legislative Yuan secretary-general Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) led a delegation to the Czech Republic and Austria for a study tour of their parliaments. In its report, the delegation specifically mentioned that “the issue of construction expansion of the legislative building is yet to be negotiated between the government and the opposition in order to forge a consensus.”
Comparing parliamentary buildings in the Czech Republic and Austria with the legislative building in Taiwan, the delegation said that “the current site of the Legislative Yuan used to be Taipei Second Girls’ High School originally during the Japanese colonial era… The existing space was not designed for parliamentary purposes, and it has long outgrown its utility and is not in conformity with the use of the site today.”
It continued: “Moreover, there are illegally built facilities and part of the site occupies a section that is planned to be used for a road. There is also a lack of space for the public to express their opinions and protests, not to mention the difficulties in renovation and maintenance.”
Article 63 of the Constitution states: “The Legislative Yuan shall have the power to decide by resolution upon statutory or budgetary bills or bills concerning martial law, amnesty, declaration of war, conclusion of peace or treaties, and other important affairs of the State.”
The Legislative Yuan is the meeting place of public opinion, and yet it is in an old school building, which is used as office space and legislative venues for the legislature. Such a state of affairs is, frankly, an embarrassment.
The legislators of the 11th Legislative Yuan took their oath of office in February. In recent months, lawmakers have made more than 300 legislative proposals — including amendments to the Legislative Yuan Organizational Act (立法院組織法), the Legislative Yuan Power Exercise Act (立法院職權行使法) and the Legislator Conduct Act (立法委員行為法), which are about to enter the deliberation stage.
Regrettably, it seems that not much attention has been paid to this old issue of legislative building expansion. It is already 24 years into the new millennium and yet the Legislative Yuan still operates by renting an old building, registered as a school of the Taipei City Government.
The Ministry of National Defense is spending as much as NT$5.4 billion (US$169 million) to build a national military museum in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Who knows how much interest there will be in the museum after construction is completed next year? However, the Legislative Yuan is heavily responsible for reviewing the central government’s budget of more than NT$2 trillion every year. It should have the office space befitting of the highest hall for public opinion.
Instead of fighting over the issue, the ruling and opposition camps could consider repurposing the Dazhi museum as Taiwan’s “capitol hill.” This could not only save taxpayers’ money, but also fulfill the need for a new legislative hall.
Lo Cheng-chung is a professor and director of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Financial and Economic Law.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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