Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) on April 18 announced that he would visit 19 possible sites for relocating the Legislative Yuan, rekindling a long debate about whether and where the legislature should move.
Parliaments are sometimes called “temples of democracy” and their appearance and environment are symbols of a democratic country.
The Legislative Yuan has since 1960 been located at the site of the former Taihoku Prefectural Second Girls’ High School, built during the Japanese colonial era. There is nothing wrong with using a high school to house the legislature provisionally, but 62 years and counting is anything but temporary.
Today, the nation’s democratic achievements are universally recognized, but the Legislative Yuan’s humble appearance and crowded environment clearly do not measure up to Taiwan’s accomplishments. The legislature must be relocated.
In deciding where to move the legislature, three conditions should be considered: The budget, which comes out of the public’s pocket, should be as low as possible; the site should be spacious; and it should not take long to build.
Based on these criteria, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is the most suitable location.
First, the land is readily available, so there is no need to appropriate it from private owners.
Second, the building does not need to be demolished, because it should be possible to convert its spacious interior. While some people might say its exterior shape and color resemble that of an emperor’s tomb, it could be redecorated and altered to fit the architectural and aesthetic principles of a government building.
Third, the large park outside the hall is wide open and suitable for gatherings, activities, petitions and protests. It is big enough for tens of thousands of people to assemble without affecting traffic.
Fourth, it is in the center of the city, and conveniently accessible by public transportation.
Another issue is that of the Legislative Yuan library, which is smaller than those of most universities and pales in comparison with the US Library of Congress. If the legislature is relocated to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, another building could be built nearby to serve as its library.
The National Central Library is just up the road, and its collection is so full as to affect the safety of the building. If a new Legislative Yuan library is built, it could not only complement the National Library, but also take over part of its burden.
An even more significant aspect of relocating to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is that it could also resolve the transitional justice issues with the building.
Transformation of the hall has long been obstructed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and pan-blue parties, but even KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on April 8 said that his grandfather Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and great-grandfather Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) “laid the foundation of democracy in Taiwan.”
If Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is transformed into Taiwan’s “temple of democracy,” would that not also allow Chiang Wan-an to “lay the foundation of democracy in Taiwan” after the end of authoritarian rule?
Moreover, the pan-blue camp has already abandoned Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-communist line, so why insist on keeping the “temple of Chiang Kai-shek” and obstructing the emergence of a new temple to celebrate democracy?
Lee Hsiao-feng is an honorary professor at National Taipei University of Education.
Translated by Julian Clegg
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS