President launches Ketagalan Academy

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday launched the Ketagalan Academy (凱達格蘭學校), a talent training institute, saying the academy will serve as a "classroom for all citizens" and will promote the values and achievements of Taiwan's democracy.

"This academy definitely does not belong to any political party and it will provide perspective instead of ideology," Chen said in an address at the academy's opening ceremony yesterday morning.

"The idea to establish this academy has been in my mind for more than three decades," he said.

Chen said the academy would improve on the capabilities of think tanks and act as an educational instrument, adding this makes it different than the party-controlled research institutes of the past.

The president also said that the Ketagalan Academy would help democracy establish deeper roots in the country and nurture future leaders.

Chen said democratization requires five things: that people understand democracy, an independent judicial system, a clear line separating the party and the government, an objective and rational media, and a public belief in peace and liberation.

"It is impossible for a few politicians to accomplish these things," Chen said.

"An effective mechanism can facilitate communication among all members of our society to complete [democratization]," he said.

Chen said that since the transfer of power in 2000, many of the problems created by the old regime have been fixed or are in the process of being solved. He said the most important question is whether the people firmly believe in democracy.

"So many countries, including Taiwan, have experienced conflict and confusion about genuine versus fake democracy. This always brings about turbulence and leads the to idling of their societies," Chen said.

"It is inevitable that our country consolidate its democratic values as well as to rectify misunderstandings about democracy," he said.

"With these reasons in mind, we establish the Ketagalan Academy," he said.

Showing the government's support of Chen's brainchild, Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) attended the ceremony.

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) also participated and will teach a class during academy's first session, which is scheduled to start on April 5. His class is entitled "the art of ruling a nation."

The 40 participants in the academy's first class come from the government and private companies. They include DPP lawmakers Kao Chi-peng (高志鵬) and Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Government Information Office Deputy Director Lee Cher-jean (李雪津), China Industrial Development Bank acting chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰), Military Intelligence Bureau Director Liu Ming-tzan (劉明燦) and Taiwan Salt chairman Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清).

The president, however, stressed that the academy will neither be a club for rich and influential people, nor will it try to instill any ideology, but will serve as a place for the brainstorming.

Ketagalan Academy President Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟), who is a former secretary-general to the president, urged opposition politicians to stop wasting time by trying to discredit the academy.

"Leaving aside thousands of important acts and proposals at the Legislative Yuan, these blue-camp lawmakers would rather spend time finding fault with the academy," he said.