Former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Richard Bush said yesterday that the US and other democracies will support the efforts of democratic consolidation in Taiwan.
He made the remarks during a forum held by the Taiwanese Political Science Association to discuss the challenges and prospects of Taiwan's democracy.
Bush, currently the director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institute, said during his speech that the US has high hopes for Taiwan's democracy and that the democratic system would benefit everyone in Taiwan.
Although democracy does not necessarily represent popular will and at times distorts it, the consolidation of democracy is still vitally important, Bush said.
Bush also made three suggestions for Taiwan that he thought would help the nation consolidate its democracy.
First, political scientists in the country should challenge politicians to transcend the dysfunctional stalemate [in the Legislative Yuan], in which they are currently trapped, Bush said.
Bush also said that it is necessary for political scientists to draw up an agenda for democratic reform.
Politicians should also be held accountable for their actions, Bush added.
The best way to handle cross-strait relations is probably through inter-governmental talks between Beijing and Taiwan, Bush said.
"Beijing's refusal to talk is the wrong approach," Bush said. "But both sides [Beijing and Taiwan] have missed opportunities to make progress."
Since civil society plays a major role in the consolidation of democracy, Bush told the Taipei Times that from his personal observations, civil society in the country has developed quite broadly in terms of quantity.
Now is the time for civil society to develop in terms of quality and increase its impact, he said. Also, political channels must exist in order for civil society to be consolidated, he added.
When asked how cross-strait relations would be affected should China begin to democratize in the future, Bush said that that prospect would have a positive impact on Taiwan-China relations in the long run.
However, new democracies tend to be more reckless, nationalistic and unstable, Bush said, and democratic transition is usually a very long process.
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