Marking the nation’s first Freedom of Speech Day, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to continue fighting for Taiwan’s “people of democracy and freedom.”
Tsai made the remarks during a ceremony commemorating the 28th anniversary of the death of democracy pioneer Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) at his tomb in New Taipei City’s Jinbaoshan Cemetery. Deng’s widow, former Presidential Office secretary-general Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), was at the event.
Deng, who ran a number of dissident magazines, self-immolated on April 7, 1989, in protest against government restrictions on freedom of speech. In December last year, the Tsai administration designated April 7 as Freedom of Speech Day to honor Deng’s pursuit of freedom of expression.
Photo: CNA
“When Deng immolated himself in 1989, many things were left undone. At the time, the National Assembly had yet to be re-elected and there were no direct presidential elections, while Article 100 of the Criminal Code and the Punishment of Rebellion Act (懲治叛亂條例) restricted people’s freedom of speech,” Tsai said.
Article 100 of the Criminal Code, which was amended in 1992, provided the legal basis for the imprisonment of people suspected of plotting to overthrow the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government.
The Punishment of Rebellion Act, abolished in 1991, was promulgated in 1949 and originally targeted communists, but was soon used as a means to control and oppress political activities.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
While the nation has realized many democratic achievements over the past 28 years, including three peaceful transitions of political power, new problems have emerged that need to be solved, Tsai said.
The government’s commitment to the pursuit of democracy, fairness and justice is unwavering, as evidenced by the decision in May last year to drop all criminal charges against members of the Sunflower movement who occupied the Executive Yuan in 2014 to protest a controversial cross-strait service trade agreement, she said.
Further proof of the government’s determination includes the promulgation of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) in August last year in a bid to put the nation’s politics on the right track, she added.
Photo: Yeh Kuan-yu, Taipei Times
“On this national day, we should remind one another that freedom and democracy do not fall from the sky; they need to be fought for,” Tsai said, vowing to defend the nation’s democracy and hard-earned freedom.
“Taiwanese are a people of democracy and freedom,” Tsai said. “My government will spare no effort to fight for the rights of our nation’s 23 million democratic people.”
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