The path to democracy has been long and rocky for Asian countries. Taiwan and the Philippines have had democratic systems in place for more than a decade, but intolerance, poor checks and balances and the weak rule of law have kept these Asian democracies in a state of turmoil. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian
Estrada has been indicted on corruption charges, but a Senate impeachment court has decided not to review evidence detrimental to him, frustrating a House of Representative attempt at impeachment. The Senate's move to protect Estrada has angered the public, and tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Estrada's lax personal morality -- as well as greed for money and women -- means he has failed as an example of law-abiding citizenship and have helped ignite the "people power" against him. With its democracy once again overshadowed by political instability, the Philippines may have to undergo a long period of economic, social and political reforms to solidify its weak democratic foundations.
Looking at Taiwan, even though Chen won a presidential election, he has been facing opposition boycotts at every turn. Eight months after the transition of power and with a second premier in place, Taiwan's political situation remains unstable. Chen's decision to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant has triggered a bitterly partisan confrontation. Now that the Council of Grand Justices has ruled on the dispute, both the ruling and opposition parties are trying to find loopholes in the ruling and interpreting it to their own advantage. Instead of a solution to the nuclear plant issue, we are seeing increasing pressure for a no-confidence vote against the premier and even for a recall of the president. But unlike Estrada, Chen does not have a morality problem and the public does not support his recall.
Under the KMT's one-party rule, Taiwan's laws were merely a tool for the ruling party. The spirit of the rule of law was weak and the judiciary was unable to establish its authority. In Taiwan's political tradition, the game rules are always designed for a zero-sum game, with no clear division of power or effective checks and balances in place. So far we have not seen much effort to improve this situation under the DPP government.
Chen's accusation that the opposition is "opposing everything proposed by A-bian"
The ruling and opposition parties have not hesitated to bend the meaning of the Grand Justices' interpretation to fit their own interests. Paying no heed to the hazards of political turmoil and economic woes, and ignoring public dissatisfaction, they are turning a public policy issue into an endless political struggle.
Taiwan's democracy is a flower that has bloomed on soil that has never before witnessed a peaceful transition of political power. We hope the current state of political disorder is only transitional -- and that by trial and error, Chen can learn to exercise a magnanimity that befits a leader, and a tolerance for the inconveniences and inefficiencies of the democratic process. We also hope that the opposition parties will learn the principles of reasonable opposition. That will make the travails of Taiwan's democracy a transitional pain it must endure for growth and the benefit of future generations.
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
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Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under