The world has changed over the past seven decades, as demonstrated by the findings in Freedom House’s latest report on democracy worldwide.
The Washington-based watchdog on Tuesday released its latest annual Freedom in the World report, which not only rated Taiwan just ahead of the US, France and South Korea, but listed the US as a “country to watch,” proclaiming it one of the 10 most volatile countries in the world and one that faced “open questions” about its future.
Who would have thought that when the 76-year-old organization was established in New York City in 1941 that the US and other Western democracies might dominate a list of nations suffering setbacks, or that the then-Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石)-led Republic of China would be ranked above the US and France.
The group, which is dedicated to promoting freedom worldwide, publishes two crucial annual reports: Freedom in the World and Freedom of the Press.
The latest Freedom in the World report said that for the 11th consecutive year, more nations saw net declines in their political rights and civil liberties (67) than made advances (36).
However, last year was an especially bad one for established democracies, with the countries ranked as “free” accounting for the largest of share of nations showing declines in political rights and civil liberties, especially in Europe — the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Poland and Serbia.
South Korea and Brazil also suffered setbacks, as did the US, which was labeled “a country to watch,” alongside Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe and the Philippines.
Freedom House attributed the setbacks in so many nations to what it called a “dual threat” to democracy: the rise of populists and autocrats.
In a year that not only saw the Democratic Progressive Party return to power, but the emasculation of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), it was satisfying to see that Taiwan’s aggregate score was 91 out of 100 — with 100 being the best — and its political rights, civil liberties and freedom rating earning the top score of 1 on a seven-point scale.
This was an improvement over 2015, when Taiwan earned a 1 for political rights and a 2 for civil liberties and scored an aggregate of 89.
Freedom House said the improvement in Taiwan’s ranking was a result of the “demonstrations of media independence and academic freedom in recent years, including in media coverage of the 2016 elections.”
Last year was not only crucial for elections in Taiwan, but a year of massive demonstrations and rallies on a wide variety of issues. Like the elections, such public outpourings are a positive symbol of Taiwan’s democratic advancements, something that Freedom House’s dry statistics can only hint at.
The report also served as reminder of why Taiwanese are so insistent on maintaining a separation from China, with it and Hong Kong receiving downward-trend arrows.
China, with its no surprise “not free” categorization, scored an aggregate of just 15, with a 7 for its political rights, a 6 for civil liberties and a 6.5 for its freedom rating. Hong Kong was rated as “partly free,” with an aggregate score of 61, a 5 for political rights and a 2 for civil liberties.
Hong Kong’s arrow was a reflection of Beijing’s steady encroachment on the territory’s freedoms, as demonstrated by the abduction of five men linked to a publishing house and its bookstore.
China’s arrow was due to its new laws tightening regulations covering foreign non-governmental organizations and cybersecurity, as well as the crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists, the group said.
Taiwan’s “free” ranking has been hard won. The US’ decline in the rankings is evidence that a nation’s democratic achievements must never be taken for granted and must be defended with as it took to gain them.
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