Taiwan - The Road To Democracy
The following is a translation of a China Times article covering a forum in Taipei.
[in translation]
This afternoon, at the international forum titled "The Road To Democracy: Global Perspectives on Democratic Experiments" sponsored by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation and held at the Zhongshan Hall, the invited guest Shi Ming-teh (施明德) said in his speech that many people have told him that the past several decades of work done by the Democratic Progressive Party while they were in the opposition has been totally erased in a brief six years. Although Shi Ming-teh was not happy with the current situation, he pointed out that looking beyond even the present, the road to democracy should not have been smooth anyway. Furthermore, the discontent of the people represents hope and it is a social force.
Lung Ying-tai said that Taiwan was the first country in the Chinese-speaking world to attempt to implement democracy. But society here is now filled with mistrust, disappointment and helplessness. She said: The original opposition became the rulers, but their impotence and corruption far exceeded our imagination; the original rulers became the opposition, but their impotence and lack of self-awareness are unbearable.
Lung Ying-tai said that we cannot point our fingers at anyone, because we elected all that filth and ugliness. The quality of the citizens is the quality of the politicians. The responsibility should go back to the citizens. Lung Ying-tai said that only when we look at our experience in the global spectrum will we know which future road we will follow.
In his speech, Shi Ming-teh also pointed out that the current central government system of Taiwan contains a lot of problems, which can be said to be one of the causes of social chaos and decay. He hopes that the political parties can put aside blue-green and persons interests to seriously think about the current central government system. Apart from this, he also thinks that the quality of the people is the other big area in democracy other than the system. He called for the current rulers and those who want to become rulers to have ideals, a sense of mission and the ability to reflect. He especially pointed out that people, political parties and even national apparatus can make mistakes, but those who are incapable of reflection will make mistakes again and again and become the object of criticisms for generations to come afterwards.
Shi Ming-teh said that the rulers need to understand the nature of power. It is necessary to act properly to gain power as opposed to by sheer ruthlessness. Once power is gained, one must understand the humility of power and one cannot become arrogant as a result of the power. He used the examples of the governments in South America and Korea that fell as a result of abuse while in power. "Yesterday's president is today's prisoner" because they were unable to resist temptation. He pointed out that the power of the rulers was given through the votes of the people, and so the exercise of power must meet the public interest. He also pointed out that the rulers must resist temptation, or else their reputation will be ruined forever.
Finally, Shi Ming-teh said that on the road to democracy, it is easier to endure hardship than to resist temptation. On the road to democracy while opposing the existing powers, it is not enough to have tolerance. We must learn to forgive, because only forgiveness is the most beautiful exclamation point in the face of hardships.
At the forum, the speaker from the Philippines (耶加多‧安格拉) said that the difficulty faced by democracy in the nation was that the presidential system allowed the president to control the entire national apparatus. Only very wealthy people can afford to participate in elections and the ruling party has an overwhelming advantage in soliciting funds. Thus, the distribution of power is unfair and this is the cause of the difficulties in the Philippines at the moment. Apart from that, the media are unfair and biased, and there is a huge wealth disparity that forced nine million Filipinos to work abroad as laborers. In the 1950's, the Philippines led Asia in terms of democratic development, but they are now far behind other Asian countries. The speaker said that the Philippines must put in a lot more effort in order to attain true democracy.
The speaker from Malaysia (澤依納‧安華) analyzed the difficult path by which the Islamic world fought for democracy. She pointed out that the gender inequality in the Islamic world violates basic worldwide human rights as well as the original intent of the Koran. The Islamic Sisters organization that she leads is trying to reform Islam from the inside to fight for women's rights and democracy. Within many Islamic countries, women's rights and democratic organizations are the vanguard to promote equality and just principles in Islamic law.
So what is happening in the big brother of democracy, the United States of America? In the speech of David Lindorff (大衛‧林道夫), he pointed out that democracy is endangered in the United States today. In national election contests, only a small number of positions are truly competitive. The other positions are held by powerful people whom no one from another party can possibly defeat. Therefore David Lindorff believes that the American democracy is being controlled by a self-appointed "elite" who thinks that it knows what the United States and the rest of the world want.
The most worrying part is that the campaign funds are the key to winning or losing elections. American party election is not based upon ideas or ideology, but the emphasis is on personal charisma and the media form the principal axis for elections. In the last presidential election, the two sides put down more than USD 1 billion in campaign money. David Lindorff pointed out that this is the greatest crisis for the United States.
Apart from that, the American masses are interested in consumption and indifferent to politics. Fewer than half the people vote in presidential elections; local elections attract fewer than 20% of the voters. The people have no sense of responsibility for social concerns. David Lindorff pointed out that democracy in the United States is sliding downwards. The people feel powerless about their government and therefore they don't care about politics.
Finally, Lindorff made the surprising statement that China is hard to rule for one government because it is so broad and populous. He felt that the modernization of the coastal regions will make the local people want to demand democracy. With the increasing corruption of the Communist Party, Taiwan democracy will become a model for the other side of the strait. Therefore, he emphasized that the democratic experience of Taiwan will be very important to China.
In the international forum on "The Road to Democracy" organized by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation, the audience cared most about the highly topical subject in recent Taiwan politics: how to prevent the rulers from becoming corrupt on the road to democracy. An audience member asked, "The Philippines used People Power to overthrow their government once upon a time. The current Taiwan rulers are corrupt and rotten, so how can Chen Shui-bian be forced to quit if impeachment is not feasible?"
The Filipino speaker said that he did not intend to interfere with internal Taiwan politics, but he can talk about People Power. He said that People Power was started in the Philippines in the 1980's, and led Czechoslovak, Georgia, Ukraine and other countries to imitate the same. But he emphasized that even though People Power pushed democracy along, the Philippines paid a tremendous price during the process. They found out twenty years after the People's Revolution that People Power caused certain organizations to lose their neutrality. For example, the military should be neutral in order to protect national security, but the Filipino military entered into politics instead. Also, most judicial personnel are appointed by the government, and this weakened judicial powers.
The Filipino speaker believed that unless the situation in a country is in an absolute mess, that the suffering of the people is unbearable and that there is no other proper process to change things, he would not recommend a popular revolution. He emphasized that to change the situation or force the rulers to quit, it is best to use constitutional means instead of using People Power like a habit.
Another audience member questioned how the independent judicial system in the United States can counteract presidential corruption. David Lindorff said that he wanted first to respond to the preceding question. He did not agree with using People Power to overthrow the government unless it is an extremely serious situation. Otherwise, the vote should be used to express discontent with the rulers.
David Lindorff said that in the independent American judicial system, the prosecutor is not a political appointee and can therefore conduct an investigation in an independent fashion. He pointed out that certain prosecutors are investigating the abuse of power by the White House right now. Even though the Attorney General is the boss of these prosecutors, he cannot dictate the investigations by these prosecutors. He said that the prosecutors in the United States are independent and can definitely investigate corruption within the government. He said proudly that as an American reporter, he is quite impressed with the integrity of the American federal judges.
(China Times) May 1, 2006.
The Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation held the second day of the international forum on "The Road To Democracy: Global Perspectives on Democratic Experiments" yesterday. Many scholars thought that democratic politics have been dwarfed by the giant shadows cast by the politicians and capitalists. In order to remedy the mistakes of democratic politics, "one needs to rely on the people waking up instead of the politicians repenting!"
Eight expert scholars from the United States, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, mainland China and Taiwan discussed the problems with democracy that have emerged recently in various countries around the world. The cultural observer Lung Ying-tai said, "The quality of the citizens is the quality of the politicians!" Full political responsiblity cannot be laid down on the political figures, because each political figure was elected by the people themselves. Hopefully, in looking at the blue-green problem, one does not focus on this narrow area and one should look at the total global perspective.
Lung Ying-tai emphasized that democracy is actually a process. It is not a state of being in which society reaches a certain stage after which our work is finished. It is a process that has to be continuously practiced in practical life and it has to continuously revised.
The mainland China scholar 朱學勤 from Shanghai once worked in a factory during the Cultural Revolution and was named by Southern News Weekly two years ago among the "fifty public intellectuals who influence China." In his analysis of the cultural revolution and the reforms of the Communist Party, he said that the achievements of the Chinese reforms are undeniable, but those reforms brought social crises: the division of rich and poor, environmental stress, overspending of resources and son. These problems have brought up reflections about the reforms in China today.
Taiwai University Political Science Department professor 朱雲漢 thought that the shooting incident in the 2004 election caused social opinion in Taiwan to split. The people of Taiwan are enthusiastic about politics and the various election activities are as professional as music concerts. But very few people ever asked just how these election shows were being financed? Taiwan is also seeing the problem of "presidential powers are too big, to the point of having questions of exceeding the powers illegally." There is a big discrepancy between democracy and political practice.
朱雲漢 said that "democracy" and "market" are the two pillars that hold up human social life in the 21st century. But in the practical operation of democracy, there have been serious discrepancies. Under the leadership of the so-called "neo-conservative" ideology, the ability of the national government departments to protect social welfare has receded. Under the control of global capitalism, democratic systems became empty shells. Since there is no substitute for democratic politics, the people can only the loathsome politics that come in a democratic politics.
Professor 藤原 from Tokyo University in Japan said that the problems India, Thailand, Philippines and Korea encountered when they implemented democracy pointed out the three flaws of democracy in Asian countries. Democracy brought out totalitarian dictatorship, corruption and abuse of power and the inability to implement public opinion. For the Asian countries, democracy is still "an unfinished project."
Professor 白永瑞 from the History Department of 延世 University in Korea used his country as the example. He pointed out that there is a trend for the people to seriously question how democratization has improved the quality of life in Korea. He emphased that democracy should be practiced in Korea on the basis of the interests of the people of South and North Koreas. Many scholars believe that the biggest problem about global democratization comes from the United States, where American style demcoracy is a political game in which looting for personal interests is conducted in the name of democracy. In the giant shadows of the politicians and capitalists, democracy is only a dwarf in politics. To remedy the many flaws of democratic politics, "we must depend on the people waking up and not on the politicians repenting."
For those in China unable to read the Chinese, here are the simplified character versions:
台湾 民主这条路
今日下午龙应台文化基金会在中山堂举办「民主这条路-全球视野下的民主体验」国际论坛，受邀贵宾施明德致词时表示，许多人告诉他，民进党几十年党外运动的努力，却在短短的六年就化为乌有，施明德虽然不满意现状，不过他也指出如果不要局限于现状来看，民主这条路本来就不可能走的如此平顺，而人民的不满意就是希望，就是社会的力量。
龙应台表示，台湾是在汉语世界中首现实践民主的国家，而现在的社会中却充满了不信任、失望与无力感。她说：当初的反对者变成了现在的执政者，而他们的无能及贪腐却是超乎我们的想象；而当初的执政者变成了现在的在野者，他们的无能及缺乏自觉也是令人难以接受。
龙应台认为，我们已经不能再把手指向别人，因为肮脏与丑陋都是自己选出来的，有几流的公民就有几流的政治人物，责任应该回到公民身上。龙应台表示，唯有把自己的经验放在全球的光谱上来看，才知道未来的路该怎么走下去。
施明德致词时也指出，台湾现行的中央政府体制有相当大的问题，可说是社会乱源与堕落的原因之ㄧ，他希望政党可以抛开蓝绿与个人利益，好好检讨现行的中央政府体制。此外，他也认为，人才的素质是除了制度外，民主的两大区块之ㄧ，他呼吁现在执政者及未来想争取执政的人都可以胸怀理想、身负使命感以及具备反省的能力，他特别指出，不管是人、政党或国家机器都有可能犯错，但是没有反省能力的人却会一错再错，变成后代子孙辱骂的对象。
施明德表示，当权者应该要了解权力的本质，取得权力必须具有正当性，而非不择手段，德到权力之后也必须了解权力的谦卑性，不能放纵自己成为拥有权力的傲慢者，他以南美洲及韩国因贪渎而下台的政府为例，「昔日大总统，今日阶下囚」就是因为不能抗拒诱惑，他指出执政者的权力是人民投票所赋予的，所有的权力行使都必须合乎公益，他也指出，执政者必须抗拒诱惑，才能不会将一世英明毁于一旦。
最后施明德也表示，追求民主的过程中承受苦难比抗拒诱惑来得容易，反抗权威追求的民主的路途中，只有忍耐是不够的，一定要学会宽恕，因为唯有宽恕才是面对苦难最美丽的句点。
而论坛中，来自菲律宾的讲者耶加多‧安格拉也提到，菲国的民主现在所面临的困境是总统制的政体让菲律宾总统很容易就可以掌控整个国家机器，选举也只有具备相当财富的人才能参与，加上执政党有绝对的募款优势，因此权力的分配相当不公平，也造成菲国目前面临的困境。此外，缺乏公正客观的新闻媒体，加上贫富差距极大，让九百万名菲律宾人必须出国工作，成为菲劳，让这个在五零年代民主发展在亚洲居于领先地位的菲律宾，现在却远远的落后于亚洲其它国家。耶加多‧安格拉表示，菲律宾目前的困境还需要更多的努力，才能够得到真正的民主。而来自马来西亚的讲者泽依纳‧安华，则是分析了回教世界争取民主的过程的困难路程，他指出过去回教世界对男女的不平等已经违反了世界基本人权，也违反可兰经的原始教义。她所带领的伊斯兰姐妹会，正设法从伊斯兰的内部改革，争取妇女权益与民主，而在当今许多的回教国家中也都是由妇女团体及人权团体来做先锋，推动平等与正义原则的回教律法。
至于民主老大哥美国又发生了什么问题？在戴维‧林道夫的讲演中指出，美国今日的民主岌岌可危，全国性的竞选中只有少数的席次是真正需要竞争，其它的席次早已被既有势力巩固，不论其它政党推出什么候选人大概都赢不了，因此戴维‧林道夫认为，美国的民主正由少数自以为是的「菁英」在操控，自以为知道美国及全世界需要什么。
而最令人忧心的是，竞选经费已经成为胜败关键，美国政党选举已经不是基于思想论述或意识形态，而是着重于个人魅力，媒体成为竞选主轴，上次总统大选两方候选人都砸下了超过十亿美元的竞选经费，戴维‧林道夫指出这是美国现在面临最大的危机。
此外，美国大众沉迷于消费，对政治冷感，总统大选参与投票的人不到一半，若是地方选举更不会超过两成，人民连关心社会的责任都荡然无存，戴维‧林道夫指出，这些现象都反映出美国的民主已经顺势而下，民众对政府深感无力，因此不再关心政治。
最后，林道夫也语出惊人的表示，他认为中国很难被一个政府统治，因为幅员广大，人口众多，他表示中国沿海地区的现代化将会让当地的人民开始要求民主，而共产党的日益腐败之下，台湾的民主将成为对岸的典范，因此，他强调台湾的民主经验对中国来说是十分重要的。
在龙应台文化基金会举办的「民主这条路」国际论坛中，台下观众所关心的问题焦点，集中在近日台湾政坛最受关注的议题，在追求民主的路途上，如何防止执政者贪污。有观众问到，菲律宾曾经用人民的力量推翻政府，而现今台湾的执政者贪污腐败，如果不能透过弹劾的方式，那么如何才能让陈水扁下台？
菲律宾讲者耶加多‧安格拉回应，他并不想干预台湾内政，不过他可以谈谈所谓「people power」。他认为，人民力量是菲国一九八零年代发起的，当时的确是对民主化的过程中做出很大的贡献，也带动了捷克、乔治亚及乌克兰等国家起而仿效。不过，他也强调，人民的力量虽然推动了民主，但在过程中菲律宾付出了昂贵代价。他们发现在人民革命二十年后，应该中立的机构却因人民力量而受到伤害，比如军队应该中立才能维护国家安全，但是菲国的军方却介入了政治，而多数司法人员也是经由政府派任，因此也减弱了司法力量。
耶加多‧安格拉认为，除非国家现况真的糟到不行，人民的苦难已经到了无法承受的地步，也没有办法透过其它正当程序改变时，他不会轻易鼓励人民革命。他强调，想要改变现状或让执政者下台，最好透过宪法途径，千万不要把人民力量当作习惯。
另有观众也问到，美国的独立司法制度，如何制衡总统贪污行为？戴维‧林道夫表示，他想响应刚刚的问题，他也不赞成以人民力量推翻政府，除非是非常严重的状态，否则还是应该以选票来表示对执政者的不满。
戴维‧林道夫表示，在美国独立的司法制度中，检察官不是政治任命，可以相当独立的介入调查。他指出，目前有些检察官正在调查白宫权力滥用的状况，虽然总检察长是这些检察官的老板，但是却不能左右检察官的独立办案。他表示，检察官在美国是独立的，绝对可以调查政府的贪污腐败。他也骄傲地表示，作为一个美国的记者，他对美国联邦法官的诚信有相当深刻的印象。
民主成政治圈侏儒 要改变靠民众觉醒
龙应台文化基金会昨天进行「民主这条路─全球视野下的民主体检」第二场国际论坛。不少学者认为，民主政治走到今天，在政客与资本家的巨大阴影笼罩下，民主变成政治圈的侏儒，要想改变民主政治缺失，「应该依靠民众的觉醒，而不是政客的悔悟！」
来自美国、日本、菲律宾、马来西亚以及中国大陆和台湾等八位学者专家，分别讨论近来在世界各国出现的民主问题。文化观察家龙应台指出，「有几流的公民就有几流的政治！」所有的政治责任不能全部放在政治人物的身上，因为每个政治人物都是人民自己选出来的。希望在看台湾的蓝绿问题时，不是在这么狭小的范围之内，要看到的是整个的、全球的视野。
龙应台强调，民主其实是一个过程，本来就不是一个境界，当社会制度到一个境界，我们工作完成了，但它是从生活实践里不断的透过实践、不断的去修正的过程。
文革时曾经作过工厂工人的大陆上海学者朱学勤，前年被「南方新闻周刊」评选为「影响中国公共知识份子五十人」，他分析共产党的文革和改革过程时表示，中国今天的改革开放成就是不容抹煞的，但是改革开放所带来的社会危机：贫富分化、环境紧张、资源透支等等，这些问题在中国今天开始引发了一场改革省思。
台大政治系教授朱云汉认为，二○○四年大选枪击事件造成台湾社会意见极为分歧，台湾的民主对政治很热衷，各种选举活动非常专业犹如演唱会，却鲜少人去问，那么多选举场子的经费哪里来？台湾目前也出现「总统权力太大，甚至非法越权的问题！」政治现实与民主之间有很大的落差。
朱云汉表示，「民主」及「市场」是架构廿一世纪人类社会生活的两大支柱。但是民主的实际运作上，却出现了严重的偏差，也就是在所谓的「新保守主义」意识形态主导下，国家机构维护公共福祉的能力大退化，在全球资本主义的宰制下，民主体制成为一个空壳子。因为民主政治无可取代，人民只能逆来顺受民主包装的恶质政治。
日本东京大学教授藤原认为，印度、泰国、菲律宾、南韩执行民主所带来的问题，正好点出亚洲国家出现三种形式的民主缺陷，民主带来所谓的独裁专制、贪污渎职、民意无法真实呈现，代表著民主对亚洲国家来说，「仍是一件尚未完成的计划！」
韩国延世大学历史系教授白永瑞也以韩国为例，他指出，韩国出现了一种风潮，人民严格质疑民主化对改善韩国的生活品质，发挥了什么效果？他强调，韩国的民主主义，应该站在南北韩全体人民利益的视角，以诊断实现。不少学者也认为，全球民主政治最大的问题，目前似乎是来自美国，美式的民主根本是一场以「民主之名」行利益掠夺之实的政治游戏，在政客与资本家的巨大阴影下，民主只是政治圈的侏儒，要想改变民主政治的诸多缺失，「依靠的就是民众的觉醒，而不是政客的悔悟！」