Government Center: the Great Hall of the People

After being turned away from the Great Hall for the second time, I began to despair about being able to visit.  The guidebook and the online sources I had read all said that it was open to the public - except when it wasn't. It was just not entirely clear to me when it wasn't. What the guides said was that it was closed to tours during official sessions of the legislature - but these happened only once a year in March for a couple of weeks. Unusual for a western legislature, perhaps but not for a communist Parliament. The decisions are all made by the party higher-ups.  The legislature just shows up, says ‘Aye’ and goes home. So that should not be an obstacle to visiting. The other obstacles are the occasional state visit and performances held in the auditorium.

Our first try collided with the state visit of the Australian PM. It seems all the people we talked to knew for sure was that it was closed. “Come back tomorrow”.  So we did, only we came too late, it seems (11:30 AM). I’m not sure what the conflict was then - school groups were getting in, just not us. The third times a charm, as they say, so this time we planned for an 8:30 AM arrival. Not sure if we got lucky, or what - but we got in.

Of course, this time we had help. We were met at the entrance by the friend, of a friend, of a friend. Our Shanghai friend Professor Ma had introduced us to his Nanjing friend Prof. Hua, whose Beijing friend, Elton, volunteered to accompany us that day. And on that day, getting in was a breeze. It may have had something to do with his language skills. I'll never know.

Look close, he's there...

The first thing that impresses you about the Great Hall is the scale. It is truly massive. The entrance hall is several stories high and hundreds of feet long. It looks like thousands could gather in the foyer. It makes sense. China is a massive country. It's legislative building matches that scale

It was a little surprising after the difficulty we had getting in (you run a rather long gauntlet that takes you around the building before letting you approach the doors) but once inside they pretty much let you have the run of the place. Some of the spaces are cordoned off, but outside of that there was not much control. It seemed anything not cordoned off you could touch, including some nice displays in the various ‘province rooms’.  Each of China's provinces, including Taiwan btw, has a room decorated in its scenery.  Notably absent in the decoration? Overt communist iconography. I can't say if it was ever there but if it was, it's gone now. Mao even has only a peripheral presence, appearing only in a mural decorating one wall of his home province’s room. Much more prominent are the references to China’s long history. Communism represents just 1% of China's history and that's about all the space they get in the Great Hall, as well.

Cuba: Government Center

Have you ever been on a snipe hunt? If you were a Boy Scout you may have experienced that adventure. It is a favorite activity for a young scout’s first camp-out. If not, you may have missed the fun. Let me describe it. 

A snipe hunt is, of course, the hunt for a snipe. A snipe, if you didn't know, is always described as a small, nocturnal, flightless bird. They are said to favor meadows and are kind of skittish. To find one you have to flush them out. The best way to do this is to line up at the edge of the meadow, shoulder to shoulder and proceed across, gesticulating and making loud whooping noises until you flush a snipe out of its lair. It doesn't always work the first time. Sometimes you have to come back the next night and try again. And again.

Finding the Cuban parliament felt to me a little like going on a snipe hunt.*  You try and try. You look and look, and at the end of the day you may not find anything. Finding a building that looks like a parliament in Havana is a piece of cake, especially for Americans. Right downtown, dominating the main square, you will find El Capitolio, a building that bears a striking resemblance to the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Built in the 1920s, El Capitolio housed the Cuban legislature (such as it was) until the revolution in 1959.

And after the revolution? They still have a legislature, don't they? Sure they do. It is called the National Assembly of People's Power. Well, the Assembly needs a building, don't they? Not so much. Cuba's constitution designates the Communist Party as “the leading force of society and state.” The Assembly only meets twice a year and when not in session, it delegates its legislative powers to the Council of Ministers (Assembly members must trust them a lot!) Two meetings a year. Seems like a waste of a big building. So after the revolution El Capitolio is repurposed to house the Academy of Sciences.

The Central Committee

And where does the legislature meet? I have no idea. Not only did I never find it (while in Havana my resources were limited to a guidebook and information offices - as you know, I had no chance to Google it.) I still can't find any mention of it's meeting place, even with the Internet.

I did find the locus of power in Cuban politics, however.  The real decision-making takes place at the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Their building is located in the military zone, behind the Marti Memorial near the Plaza de la Revolucion. From the memorial  you can see it, but you can't get anywhere near it. There is a checkpoint on all roads leading in to it and a cordon of sentries spaced 50 feet apart between the roads. I could see it, but I could not get near it.

Cienfeugos

I had a similar experience with the provincial capital building in Cienfuegos. It was there on the Central Square, a beautiful old building with its doors wide open. I thought I had a chance. Nope. Just inside the doors was a minder. As I walked past her (my usual MO -don't ask, just give it a shot.) she sprang into action. “You can't go in there!”  I don't know who can - my Spanish is not good enough for that. I just know I cannot.

*Okay, for those of you who don't know the inside joke - there is no such thing as a snipe.

Wit? Clue: The book and the sword are apparently a giveaway.  Though JP II could see St. Peter's Square, I don't think there is a statue of Peter there.  This one is not that close to the Vatican, but still not that far...

Turkey: Government Center

We saw it many times before trying to visit. An imposing complex, it sits atop a ridge along one of Ankara's main streets. It is not just the Parliament building, but an entire government complex that lies behind tall gates and significant security. You can't really get close, without actually going in.

I suppose that should not be surprising in this environment of terrorism that so many countries are experiencing. Letting people wander up close to a building is sadly an invitation to a suicide bomber. And yes, Turkey does have a terrorism problem. There is a Kurdish separatist group and they have initiated attacks in the past. Turkey does need to keep its guard up.

By now, for me, visiting a Parliament has become something of a barometer of a government's attitude about interacting with the public. It's not just about getting inside but also about who they keep out and how they let you in. So even though Murat told me not to worry - he knew people and could arrange a visit - I decided to go on my own to see what a foreigner without connections would experience.

What I experienced was nothing short of amazing. It started pretty inauspiciously. As we approached the building there was a nice view up the hill, so I decided to stop and take picture. That's set off the security. Guards started whistling and motioning and I thought it was because somehow they knew I was about to jaywalk. But no, the area is a military zone. You're not supposed to take pictures. I guess the thinking is that those pictures might be used to plan an assault?  You are also not supposed to go up the stairs that seem to lead to the building. There is no gate there and though it looks like an entrance, it is ceremonial and the guards won't let you passed the first step. The real entrance is around the corner. So off we went.

When we got there, we were met naturally by guard. He spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish. He signaled for us to wait. A second guard with some English ability arrived, welcomed us, and asked us what we were doing there. “We want to visit the Parliament.” He was not sure about that, but walked us to the next security check and told us to ask there. First, we went through security - airport style, not at all unusual, they do that at the County Court House in Martinez. We cleared and they took us to the security command and again asked us what we wanted. Again, no one spoke enough English for us to explain.

What was remarkable was how they all dealt with this incomprehensible intrusion. They were extremely patient and determined to work things out. Eventually we found someone to translate and again I began to explain who I was and why I was on their doorstep. Apparently I said the magic word – professor.  The reaction was instantaneous and humbling.  The police officer in charge of security took my hand, kissed it and put it to his forehead.   He would personally show us the Parliament.

Again, his English and my Turkish were about equal, but he was determined. He led us across the complex pointing out things along the way, greeting sentries and pulling out his keys to open locked doors. One of those doors was the door to the Gallery of the Assembly chamber. Here he grabbed a journalist who was passing by and pressed him into service as a translator. He described the space and who goes where, when they are session. We got a real tour of the space. Strangers, who appeared unannounced.

But that was not the end. After the chambers. He invited us to lunch in the Parliament’s cafeteria. We declined, but accepted tea. Again he grabbed a passerby and impressed him to translate. We talked about our trip, his family, ours, Turkey, the US. We had a great chat, then he invited us to his house to meet his family and have dinner. He would send a car to pick us up at our hotel. Astonishing, yet for Turkey I don't think all that unusual. If you are a guest they are determined to take care of you. We could not accept his kind offer but his generosity was unforgettable.

Germany: Government Center - Reichstag, Berlin

It is probably no surprise that someone who does political science for a living would have a long-standing fascination with national parliaments. I still remember the first one I ever visited in Ottawa, while a student at McGill. We arrived without appointment and still got a tour and even got to sit in for Question Time.

In my mind, that is the way it should be in a democracy.   The government works out in the open and the boss (the people)
can show up whenever they want to check up on them. I guess that is why my experience in Moscow was such a shock. They pretend to be a democracy but the charade does not extend to public access to the legislature.

The Reichstag in Berlin is perhaps the other extreme.  The German government is so committed to openness that they actually have advertisements to entice you to come and see the workplace. They want you to come and visit and learn.  It is their chance to demonstrate how far they have come.

What I find most interesting about these seats of government is the extraordinary attention to detail given to every aspect of the space and symbolism that attaches to what might otherwise be ordinary objects. The Woolsack in the UK representing wool as the foundation of the empire - and the Russian graffiti covers the walls of the Reichstag.

At the end of World War II it was the Russians who conquered Berlin, fighting fierce resistance and advancing block by block. Taking the Reichstag, which ironically* was an important symbolic victory, signified the end of the war and the defeat of Nazism. Having accomplished this, Russian soldiers celebrated by tagging what was left of the structure.  *The irony was that the Reichstag meant nothing to the Nazis.  Hitler probably hated it more than the Russians.

For decades after, the Reichstag was little more than a shell. Nothing really important happened there. The government was in Bonn.  The Reichstag was in mothballs, waiting.

Until 1990, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and then of the GDR, and the resulting reunification. Berlin would once again be the capital and the Reichstag would once again be its home.

Obviously there was work to do to prepare for the moment. The building had not seated a legislature since the famous fire in 1933. Would the renovations include removing the graffiti from the walls? It would not. The graffiti is a reminder to the legislature of the potential consequences of their actions. They are an eternal part of German history, chemically preserved and legally protected.

But the Reichstag does not just look backwards.
In many respects it is perhaps the most innovative and forward looking parliament building in the world. The building is designed to use as little energy as possible, employing solar panels reflective mirrors and sun shades to harness the sun to power, illuminate and cool the chambers.  The central column of the dome sends a powerful message to the thousands who visit every week that great efforts are being made to be environmentally friendly.

And then there is the dome itself. It is transparent and from the top you can look right down on the floor of the legislature itself.  This legislature wants to be open - to the people and to the heavens.

Made it to the end?  Here's a WiT? Clue:Continuing the 'Father of his Country' theme.  He may not have been that but he was the first of 'his kind'.

Russia; Parliament

It would be nice to be able to see Russia's government up close and in action.  It seems however, that the government is not at all interested in that kind of attention. We visited the

The Duma

buildings of two parts of the Russian legislature; the State Duma and the Senate. The Duma is in a large building just across the street from Red Square and the Kremlin. In front of the Duma is a guard house, a cube that looks like it is made from bullet proof glass. The cube is about 6' x 10'. In it is a guard with his computer and monitor.

To get into the Duma you have to show him your identification and be approved. If you pass, you leave the cube and approach the front doors which are buzzed open to let you pass. Almost no one enters the Duma.

When I arrived in Moscow I was asked by my host what I wanted to do while I was here.

The Cube

When I mentioned visiting the Duma she expressed disbelief. "That is impossible!" she replied. "You would have to know a delegate to make an appointment."


The Russian Senate is behind the Kremlin walls and operates behind a similar wall of security. Thousands of people enter the Kremlin's grounds every day, but they are not allowed to approach the Senate. The Kremlin grounds are divided by a large square whose perimeter is defended by a cadre of traffic cops, in the middle of the square is a guard. If you want to go to the Senate you have to show

The Senate

him an ID which he carefully checks before allowing you to proceed to the second security check behind a large iron gate. 
Russians can see their government, just not in person. Every night on the news you are shown long reports featuring Putin and Medvedev showing them hard at work and describing their views and activity. Of course what a person sees is what the government decides to show them through the portal of the state controlled media. To Russians, this seems normal. To us is an affront to our notion of popular sovereignty.  We want to be able to reach out and yell at them.  Russians don't see the point.  They will do what they want to do anyway.  I wonder who is right.