AUGUST 2013

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

DPP delegation visits Thailand

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang led a delegation to Thailand, departing on Aug. 15 to conduct meetings with leaders of the main opposition party, the Thai Democrat Party, and international think tanks operating in Thailand as well as meeting with DPP supporters and Taiwanese businessmen. According to Mr. Liu Shih-Chung, director of the Department of International Affairs, this is Chair Sus fourth trip overseas since taking the chairmanship position, and due to the long history of Taiwanese businessmen making investments in Asia, this area is top priority for the DPP.

Mr. Liu said the main purpose of this trip is to show the DPPs support of Taiwanese businessmen in Thailand, also hoping to gather suggestions regarding better investment planning and strengthening economic and trade relations with other countries. Chair Su has conducted three overseas trips in the first half of this year, first to Japan in February, Singapore in April and to the U.S. and Canada in June. Mr. Liu emphasized that this times visit to Thailand is part of the DPPs global strategic planning as Chair Su has placed great importance in promoting foreign relations for Taiwan on behalf of the party.

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 The delegation this time was comprised of members from the Subcommittee for Economic and Industry of the DPPs think tank, Chairman of the DPPs Taoyuan Branch Mr. Cheng Wen-tsang and Legislators Gao Jyh-Peng, Wu Ping-Jui, Chiu Yi-Ying, Pang Meng-an, Tsai Chi-Chang and Bikhim Hsiao. Taiwanese businessmen promote Taiwan in local Thai communities Chair Su first headed to the guest center of the Thai-Taiwan Business Association to join a dialogue with executives of Taiwan enterprises operating in Thailand. He praised Taiwanese businessmens devotion to the local communities from relief efforts and construction assistance to providing volunteers at the Suvarnabhumi Airport to assist international tourists on behalf of Taiwan. The DPP delegation was greeted by a group of local Taiwanese businessmen and DPP volunteers at the DPPs Southeast Asia Headquarters of Suvarnabhumi Airport. President of the Thai-Taiwanese Business Association said that since 1988, responding to the Go-South policy, many Taiwanese businessman moved to Thailand where they started what later was registered as the Thai-Taiwan Businessmen Association in order to promote the rights of Taiwanese in Thailand while fostering cooperation between both countries. Now, the association has fifteen chambers across Thailand.

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Chair Su thanked the Taiwanese businessmen for their cordial hospitality, saying that they serve as the best model for their feet in Thailand, having a vision from all over the world and providing their feedback to Taiwan. He also acknowledged their contribution to Taiwan-Thailand relations through deep involvement with relief efforts and construction assistance. Chair Su further added that he was immediately impressed by Thailands progress manifested by the construction of the new airport since his last visit some time ago. As the country also has a longstanding and highly influential presence of Taiwanese businessmen, and as the country is Taiwans third-largest country of foreign investment for Thailand, the visit was meant for supporting Taiwanese entrepreneurs while learning from their experiences. He said that their opinions will be used for the DPPs policy regarding international trade, especially areas concerning Southeast Asia in order to strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and its neighboring countries.

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 Visits with Thai Democrat Party On Aug. 16, the DPP delegation met with Leader of the Opposition of the Thai Democrat Party and Former Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, at the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Thailand. Members of the Taiwan-Thailand parliamentary friendship group also hosted an evening reception for the DPP delegation. Members of the reception included Hon. Kiat Sittheeamorn (MP), Hon. Kasit Piromya (MP), Hon. Ongard Klampaiboon (MP), Hon. Buranaj Smutharaks (MP), Hon. Isra Sunthornvut (MP), Hon. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut (MP), among others. In his address at the evening reception, Chair Su said that the collaboration between both parties has had a long history, mainly starting from both being founding members of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), an alliance of liberal democratic parties in Asia. In the 20 years of holding exchanges, both have been successful in gaining support from the people to achieve ruling power. He added that in the future, he hoped that democracy and freedom continue to serve as common values to support regional peace. He further wished that both sides economic relations continue to flourish. In the meeting at the National Assembly of Thailand, Chair Su said he shared the same thoughts as Former Primer Minister Vejjajiva, whereas Taiwan, as a medium-sized economy, must not allow it being dominated by the economic strategy of larger countries. Besides both sides agreeing that Taiwan and Thailand must enhance greater economic relations, Chair Su said he hoped that Thai officials can offer their assistance in supporting Taiwans bid to join international organizations. Mr. Vejjajiva expressed great concern regarding the issues of democracy development and economic growth. Both sides agreed that in addi

AUGUST 2013 tion to economic growth, it is also important to promote democracy. Additionally, Chair Su expressed concern over the worlds current events, especially the situations in the Middle East and the political crisis in Egypt. He said that the DPP in Taiwan is also facing the sole control of one political party, but like the support of democracy by the international community in the past, there is now great concern over Egypt. He emphasized the need of cooperation and welcomed the platform provided by organizations such as CALD.

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang pictured here with Mr. Rainer Adam, regional director of the Southeast Asian headquarters of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, an international NGO "om Germany that promotes liberal and democratic values.

Visiting the National Assembly of Thailand

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AUGUST 2013

Chair Su: Taiwan made a milestone of civil power over army reform

At the DPPs Central Standing Committee on Aug. 7, the DPP held a long discussion concerning the military crisis in Taiwan as a result of the death of army conscript Mr. Hong Chong-chiu. During the meeting, Mr. Koo Li-hsiung delivered a report titled Human Rights in the Army and Further Reforms of the Military Trial. Chair Su Tseng-chang commented that the incident of Mr. Hung represents a case where civil power prevails, prompting the Legislative Yuan to pass laws that make criminal cases be take over in the regular civil court during non-war times. He said that the DPP will continue to track the progress of Mr. Hungs case and oversee the upcoming reforms on human rights and the trial system in the army, which is one of the most challenging issues that we

are facing today. Chair Su said that, despite the comment of the Interpretations of the Grand Justices Council No.524, No. 436 (1997.10.03) that endorsed a one-tier trial court system, reforms have eluded the secretive military trial and court system. This culminates in reoccurring abuses, of which even the victims family could not get justice, he said. Such cases have exposed a huge inadequacy in Taiwans human rights campaign, which Chair Su attributed to the armys problems and public distrust as a result of the lack of accountability and incompetency of military chiefs, an issue for which President Ma should be held responsible. Citing the Hung Incident and the stepping down of

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AUGUST 2013

As 250,000 people took to the streets at Ketagalan Boulevard last Saturday on Aug. 3, one of the biggest rallies held this year without the support of a political party and mainly by the will of the people, Chair Su said this rally not only expressed what the people wanted from the government, but it was also a milestone of civil power calling for policy changes. As a result, human rights reform in the army pushed the legislative body to act immediately and make legislation happen. He called the demonstration a remarkable civil movement that is the fruit of the countrys increasingly mature democracy. Democracy is not just about elections, said Chair Su. A more progressive society and more developed democracy will not be possible until more people are willing to fight injustice and defend the common good. He also challenged fellow party members to respond faster to the demands of a growing civil society by materializing these wishes into policies, fulfilling the duties of a political party.

two defense ministers within a week, Chair Su said that the people felt betrayed by the army, a sentiment as much disastrous to the army as to the national defense itself. He further reported that in June, the DPP invited thirty retired high-ranking military officials to a series of in-depth and intense discussions that produced a National Defense Blue Book, calling for the recovery of the national armys three faiths. Chair Su appealed for President Ma to shoulder the responsibility as the armys commander in chief. He said President Ma should look deep down at the entrenched problems of the military system so that Taiwans national defense can regain the trust by the soldiers, the people and our neighboring countries. PAGE 5

AUGUST 2013

DPP releases poll on DPP, KMT approval ratings

The DPP conducted a poll on August 20 to 22, gathering public opinion regarding their approval rating on the DPP and the KMT on the areas of public service. The sampling of the poll was 1,151 samples via telephone polling and targeting Taiwan citizens with voting rights. 1. DPP vs. KMT approval rating Areas Protection of democracy and freedom Labor policy Agricultural development Environment and energy sources Economic development Social welfare Finance Ethnic policy Education and culture Transportation and construction National defense and foreign relations Cross strait relations DPP (A) 58.4% KMT (B) 18.7% No Opinion 22.9% Difference (A-B) 39.7%

53.4% 50.3% 44.7% 44.1% 43.5% 40.4% 39.8% 37.3% 34.6% 31.7%

16.7% 17.5% 25.1% 27.8% 28.5% 28.5% 31.5% 30.4% 33.5% 40.6%

29.9% 32.2% 30.2% 28.1% 28% 31.1% 28.7% 32.4% 31.9% 27.7%

36.7% 32.8% 19.6% 16.3% 15% 11.9% 8.3% 6.9% 1.1% -8.9%

22.6%

58.8%

18.6%

-36.2%

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 2. In regards to the honesty and public integrity of civil servants, there were 42.2% that believed the DPP administration was better and 22% that believed the KMT administration is better. 3. In understanding the needs of the public, there were 62.3% that believed the DPP administration was better and 16.1% that believed the KMT administration is better. 4. Overall, there were 40.7% of the public that believed the DPP administration was better while 35.7% believed that the KMT administration has more governance capability.

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5. There were 53.3% of the public that hoped to see the DPP regain back the administration in 2016 while 22.8% hoped to see the KMT continue governing. Party Approval Rating In party approval rating, the DPP received 33.9%, the KMT 19.8%, independent voters 16.1%. From a pan blue-green perspective, the pan-green team received 44.1% and the pan-blue team received 34.4%. 6.

Debate on cross strait services trade agreement set for Sept. 15

On behalf of DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang, a group of DPP representatives negotiated with President Ma Ying-jeous staff at the presidential office on Aug. 28 regarding holding a debate concerning the cross strait services trade agreement. Both sides agreed that the debate will be televised and to be held on Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. The debate will be held between DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang and President Ma Ying-jeou. Legislator Tsai Chi-chang, one of the representatives, said that the negotiations went smoothly, and the DPP used the same concept as the ECFA debate three years ago. He noted that Chair Su will debate on the standpoints given to him by the public in order to rightly represent the role of the opposition party. Besides Legislator Tsai, the DPP negotiating group was comprised of Mr. Wang Ming-shen, director of the chairs office; Mr. Huang Chih-tah, deputy director of the Policy Research Committee; and Mr. Huang Li-ke, deputy director of the Culture and Communication Department. The debate will be televised over the public television station, and it will be hosted by media development manager Mr. Ho Kuo-hua. According to Legislator Tsai, the ECFA debate took over two-and-a-half hours, which many said it was too long. He said the DPP hopes this time to complete the debate within two hours, by both sides agreeing to discuss four items instead of the original five.

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AUGUST 2013

Huashan China Forums recap

The DPP held its third Huashan China Forum on Aug. 15 with Former Chair Mr. Yu Shyi-kun presiding. The title of the forum was Reactions to Chinas Influences on Taiwan. Guest speakers included Mr. Liu Te-shun, former deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council under both DPP and KMT administrations, and Mr. Lau Ka Yee, a democracy activist from Hong Kong to discuss Hong Kongs experiences under China. Director of the DPPs China Affairs Department, Mr. Honigmann Hong, said the DPP has consistently pushed for the normalization of cross strait relations, but with the China factor, the exchanges have been controlled by the Beijing authorities, all of which prevent normal exchanges. He said that even though Taiwan is a small country, it has a free system and an open society. In facing the influence of China over Taiwan, the question lies whether Taiwans democracy will receive a greater impact, he said.

According to Mr. Hong, the forum was based on discussing how to engage in cooperation with not just the Beijing authorities, but also with Chinese civic and academic groups. As there are opportunities and challenges to the rise of China, he said the complexity of the topic cannot be viewed from a black and white perspective. He further emphasized that dealing with China should not be the responsibility of just one political party. Experts conclude enlarging exchanges between civic societies from both sides should be priority The fourth Huashan China Forum was held on Aug. 29, presided by Former Chair Ms. Tsai Ing-wen. The topic of the forum this time was titled Cross Strait Civic Society Exchanges Know-How. During the forum, Ms. Tsai emphasized the importance of the DPP to research and analyze the creation of relationships with civic societies from China, PAGE 8

AUGUST 2013 at the meeting, said that when the DPP discusses China, it should refrain from referring to it as one entity, and the challenges lie on whether the DPP is capable of differentiating between China, the Chinese people and the Chinese authorities Mr. Wu Jieh-min from the Institute of Sociology of Academia Sinica, said that the Xi-Li administration in China has been focused on anti-corruption and reform, but it has also continued to suppress new democratic movements, including the Internet and human rights activists. He further said that the basic relationship between the cross straits should be defined as an inter-state relationship, however, the cooperation methods between the KMT and CCP is definitely showing that it is not an inter-state relationship, enlarging even more a domestication of politics. He said that Taiwanese civic groups must take active participation in order to prevent them from participating in the dialogue.

searching for the common language between DPP supporters and for the party to play a role in facilitating. She said that as long as the DPP persists in the value of progress, the party will be able to achieve the goals of dialogue and understanding between both sides. Ms. Tsai said that from the perspective of the DPP, in order to formulate a comprehensive China policy that surpasses the current circumstances, it must involve the leadership of civic societies to push for the relevant topics. She said that even though there are greater numbers of exchanges now, there is still a lack of understanding on a systematic level. This means, she said, the accumulation of public knowledge is lacking, and this is something that the DPP must focus its efforts in the future. Another guest speaker, Secretary-General for the New School for Democracy, Mr. Wang Shing-Chung said that since the DPP lacked a comprehensive strategy, there was no specific exchange plans between cross strait civic groups. Chinese activists Wang Dan, who was present

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AUGUST 2013

DPP conducts forum series reviewing the 2000 - 2008 administration

The DPPs think tank, the New Frontier Foundation, announced on Aug. 16 that it will organize a series of forums to discuss the positives and negatives of the eight years of DPP administration from 2000 to 2008. The series will be called Hardworking Government for the People to Strengthen Taiwan - the DPPs Eight Years in Power. The think tanks executive director, Mr. Lin Wanyi, said that the conference series will invite past government officials and academics to gather opinions from civic society as well as the media. The purpose of these conferences is to review the DPPs past administration achievements and setbacks in order to prepare the DPP for the future. The conference series were scheduled to take place on August 23 and 30 and September 6 and 14. Discussions will be divided into the domains of constitutional politics, national defense, foreign relations, economy, finance, civic society, education and culture. There will be 18 sessions combined in total. Below is a summary of Chair Sus remarks on August 23: The DPP had eight years of experience from 2000 to 2008, and if it did a good job, then how is it possible that it didnt continue governing? However, if it did a bad job, then why is the public having such negative sentiments towards the current PAGE 10 administration with an approval rating lower than the DPP in the past? The DPP has now been in opposition for five years and with the ability to make comparisons between the current and past administrations, it is now time to reflect on the past eight years. Many say that the DPP is incapable of discussing, or there is no point, in remembering the past administration, but this conference is to give a report to the public and to engage in dialogue in order to take over historical responsibility. Because with time, one can see the results clearly and putting emotions aside on what was right and what was wrong. With a humble attitude, we are taking a practical approach to the discussion and bravely facing up to any issues of the past. This will make it much better for our future! I would like to thank our former officials and members of the academia for their assistance in making preparations to make this conference possible. In the next four weeks, we will have a wide range of discussions and I hope that the DPP can deliver to the public and make it better for Taiwan, achieving the motto of a hardworking government for the people to strengthen Taiwan.

AUGUST 2013

DPP receives U.S. visitors from both houses of Congress in August

The DPP received Mr. Robert Menendez, senior United States Senator from New Jersey on Aug. 19. Since Chair Su was visiting Thailand at that time, the delegation was received by DPP Legislative Caucus Convener Mr. Ker Chien-ming and DPP Representative to the U.S. Mr. Joseph Wu. During the meeting, they discussed the topics of Taiwans national defense, U.S.-Taiwan relations and current domestic politics. In response to Senator Menendez question regarding the state of affairs in Taiwans domestic politics, Mr. Wu responded that Taiwans national defense is an area faced with the most urgent need. In the years of President Mas administration, the national defense budget has fallen to only take 2.1% of the countrys GDP, which he said this is insufficient to conform to the current needs of the army. Mr. Wu further reported that the recent participation by the Taiwanese public against the abuse of power over the death of army conscript Mr. Hong Chong-chiu, has also prompted the DPP to respond through the Legislative Yuan to review military reform. He emphasized to Senator Menendez that the DPP believes that Taiwans self-defense capabilities is highly important. Senator Menendez also asked about recent developments in Taiwans energy issues and how the DPP is able to promote legislation by having a minority in the Legislative Yuan. Mr. Ker responded that even though the DPP has never been able to achieve majority in the legislature, it has resorted to take a more active form of questioning in order to represent pubic views. He said that the DPP has also largely engaged the cooperation from civic groups to put pressure on the government on issues such as the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, military reform and the cross strait services agreement. PAGE 11 Lastly, Senator Menendez inquired about the DPPs future campaign strategy. Mr. Wu said that he believed the DPP would be able to garner greater support not only from the Southern areas, but it will also be able to make strides in the traditional Central areas. In related news, DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang received at the DPP Headquarters on Aug. 22 Mrs. Judy Chu, member of the House of Representatives from Californias 27th district and Mrs. Madeleine Bordallo, member of the House of Representatives from Guams At-Large District.

AUGUST 2013

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

PUBLISHED BY: Department of International Aairs Democratic Progressive Party 9F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306 Fax: 886-2-2393-0342 Email: foreign@dpp.org.tw Website: http://www.dpp.org.tw

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