An index for democracy in Asia was unveiled at the biennial conference of the World Forum for Democratization in Asia held in Taipei this week.
The Asia Democracy Index 2005 was a project conducted by the Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (ARDA), one of the organizers of the forum.
The 16 territories or countries surveyed in the project are Japan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Afghanistan, India and China were not surveyed because of the size of China and India's respective populations, the ARDA said, without citing specific reasons for the exclusion of Afghanistan from the index. Countries such as Vietnam and Laos could not be surveyed because of political situations, it said.
ARDA chairman Chee Soon Juan, from Singapore, said that the index will help to fathom democratic progress in Asia, will provide an ongoing study of how governments and countries rank according to the index, and will promote democracy.
The survey was carried out by local grassroots organizations, which ARDA deemed to be more reliable and unbiased, using survey takers who were "politically aware."
The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy was in charge of the survey in Taiwan in which 500 people were polled.
The survey questions were divided into six categories: civil rights, elections and political processes, governance and corruption, media, participation and representation, and rule of law.
Questions such as whether people can openly question and discuss official policies without fear and whether the government allows peaceful demonstrations were asked under the civil-rights category, in which Taiwan ranked second.
Taiwan was also ranked in the top five for government transparency and accountability, which fell under the "governance and corruption" category, and for the "rule of law," which indicated a judicial system that effectively protects human rights and democratic principles. Overall, Taiwan was ranked third.
However, the rankings should not be thought of as a mere comparison between the 16 countries, said Paul Scott, a professor at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.
"For example, Japan cannot be compared to Cambodia in many aspects," Scott said. "The results of the survey indicate the state of democracy as applicable in the country polled."
"What the index and survey results show is that Asia is still promoting democracy and that democratization still has a long way to go in the region," Scott said. "The index measures progress, not results, or else I wouldn't be at this conference."
Sharing his perception on the democratization of Taiwan, Scott said that Taiwan was deemed rather successful.
"People sacrificed a lot for democracy in Taiwan, so they have high expectations of it. Sometimes they even have over-expectations of what democracy can deliver," Scott said.
"Democracy is a learned culture. It takes time to develop, and what is happening in Taiwan with political parties is a predictable and necessary step in the process of democratization," Scott said.
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
RSS