President Neyts-Uyttebroeck of the Liberal International, Chairman Sukhumbhand of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, President Yao of the Examination Yuan, Secretary General Chang of the Democratic Progressive Party, ambassadors and representatives, fellow party members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good evening!
First, on behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party, I would like to welcome everyone from afar to Taiwan to participate in this occasion moment. In 2001, I was awarded the Liberal International Prize for Freedom. Today, I have become the chairman of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. This is an honor and a responsibility for both myself and the 23 million Taiwanese people.
Last Saturday, on 2-28 Memorial Day, more than 1 million Taiwanese people, formed a 500-km human chain in a simple and dignified manner, one hand in another hand. The event successfully sent the message to the world that Taiwan wants peace, not missiles; that Taiwan wants democracy, not war.
Tonight, I am delighted to see our friends from the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats gathered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The Council links the political parties from Pacific Rim countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Indian Ocean’s Sri Lanka together, once again forming a chain of democracy and freedom. Our determination and willpower are closely intertwined, and ties Taiwan with your respective countries.
In Bangkok last December, we all celebrated CALD’s 10th anniversary. Through CALD members’ unyielding pursuit of democracy, freedom, and human rights, as well as your assistance and care, Taiwan has, in the world’s third wave of democratization, successfully repealed martial law and allowed freedom of political participation and freedom of the press to thrive. We then used direct presidential elections and the transfer of power between political parties to consolidate democracy, making Taiwan an international success story.
Taiwan’s democratic achievements today not only come from our people’s identification with the land, but also, and more importantly, come from our belief in Taiwan and our practice of the ideas of “the rule of the people” and “the people are their own masters.” Confidence is strength, confidence brings progress; we are willing to share with all of our good friends here the democratic fruits created by the Taiwanese people.
Under the leadership of His Excellency Sukhumband, CALD has comprehensively discussed and researched issues such as anti-government corruption, globalization, international anti-terrorism, and economic development. In addition, all of our partners have used the strength of their respective parties to concretely support the elections of other member parties. When Taiwan held its presidential election four years ago, our CALD partners and friends from the Liberal International also came to Taiwan, enthusiastically cheered for the DPP and me. Real friends are the ones who open their arms and stand by you when you most need help.
As the first opposition party that became the governing party in Taiwan, the DPP has not only consolidated Taiwan’s democracy, but also participates in international anti-terrorism efforts and humanitarian assistance. The DPP has cooperated with others in intelligence-sharing and prevention of money-laundering. Moreover, “Love From Taiwan”- Taiwan’s humanitarian aid – can be seen in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The determination to push for reforms and sweep out “black gold” politics is the main reason the DPP has won the people’s trust. I must let you know that over the last four years, the DPP has made considerable progress in areas such as eliminating black gold and vote-buying, improving electoral politics and penalizing corruption. The black-gold power elite connected with the authoritarian regime in the past has either been prosecuted, sentenced, or has fled abroad, waiting for the old regime to return. My government will not be kind to these remnants of the black-gold power from the old regime.
The newest evaluation report by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy ranked Taiwan’s incorruptness fourth among 12 Asian countries. We are still dissatisfied with such a result, because creating a civil society with clean politics is the ultimate goal of the DPP.
On the 20th of this month, we will hold Taiwan’s first-ever referendum on the same day as the presidential election. Through a referendum, the Taiwanese people will express their collective view on two questions–strengthening national defense and cross-strait negotiations.
Referendums have been held in many countries for many years. A lot of issues can be resolved directly by the people to compensate for the inadequacies of parliaments. To exercise the referendum is an inalienable right, a basic human right. I believe that the 23 million people of Taiwan’s basic right to exercise referendums cannot be limited, or deprived. Just as the theme of Liberal International’s Asia Conference-“Democratic Consolidation and the Role of Political Parties”-suggests, the people are the masters of a nation, the people have a right to directly participate in the national policy-making process. The DPP wants Taiwan’s first referendum to be completed smoothly, to allow Taiwan’s democratic consolidation to continue.
Amid the rapid changes of globalization, and following the international economic downturn, Taiwan’s economic indicators have gradually recovered and have also been highly confirmed by international evaluations given the high marks by international analysts.
According to the World Competitiveness Yearbook by IMD International, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Taiwan ranked six in overall competitiveness for economies with populations larger than 20 million people. In the World Economic Forum’s growth competitiveness ranking, Taiwan placed third among eighty major countries. In the investment environment evaluation by Switzerland’s Business Environmental Risk Intelligence, Taiwan and Japan both ranked fourth among 50 countries.
Taiwan’s economic growth rate reached 5.17% in the last quarter of last year, with last year’s rate reaching 3.24%, surpassing Korea, Singapore, and Japan, making it first among the Asian four dragons. This year the growth rate is expected to rise above 5%. Taiwan’s unemployment rate this year will drop below 4.5%, while the rate is projected to drop below 4% next year. Taiwan’s stock and real estate markets continue to heat up, with foreign investments pouring in, which indicates the world’s confidence in Taiwan’s market.
Our confidence also comes from our vision of strengthening Taiwan’s future investment environment. Tonight’s ceremony is held in the Kaohsiung metropolitan area, which has suffered from bad water quality for decades. Our efforts to improve the water quality have allowed the Kaohsiung residents to drink clean water. In central Taiwan, we have established science and industrial parks, while in the north we have drilled the Hsueshan Tunnel for the Taipei-Ilan expressway. In addition, the efficiency demonstrated in reducing non-performing loans and carrying through with financial reforms further shows the DPP government’s achievements in economic reform. While a minority of people domestically are wishing Taiwan ill, the international community has strongly affirmed the “progress in Taiwan.”
Tonight, I am honored to accept the rotating chairmanship of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. I have three goals with regard to this distinguished position. The three expectations are to increase the size of the alliance and the exchanges between members, to construct a communications platform for the values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and to build a partnership between the Council of Asian Liberal and Democrats and international liberals and democrats.
I also hope to strengthen the partnership between CALD and other international organizations such as LI, the US’s National Democratic Institute, the Naumann Foundation of Germany, and the newly established Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, to bring Asian experiences and democratic values to help developing countries’ democratization and to improve their human rights. We hope to institute healthy political party politics, free market economies, and societies with a democratic rule of law.
Friends, we stand on the right side of history. The torch of democracy and freedom is waiting for us to pass down to the next generation. Let us raise our glasses to show our confidence!
Once again, I would like to welcome all of the distinguished guests from around the world. Good health and best wishes to all of you! Cheers!
