Direct presidential elections signify that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation, President William Lai (賴清德) said on Saturday at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the first direct presidential vote.
The latter half of the 20th century witnessed Taiwan’s transformation into a democracy, from the lifting of martial law in 1987 to the abolition of the Temporary Provisions for the Period of Mobilization for the Suppression of Communist Rebellion in 1991 and the complete re-election of the legislature in 1992. These political evolutions underline a shift in the government’s priorities — that is, it no longer competes with the Chinese Communist Party for the power to represent all of China, but is dedicated to refining the national and power structure with “Taiwan” as its core.
On March 23, 1996, Taiwan held its first-ever direct presidential election, an epoch-making event to strengthen its strategic position, both legally and practically, as a distinct nation separate from China. Despite China launching military drills and firing missiles to intimidate Taiwanese, the election — with Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) representing the then-ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) representing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and two independent candidates — drew a voter turnout of 76.04 percent, reflecting the vast majority’s expectations and determination to take part in the democratic process.
The direct election of national leaders signifies that “sovereignty belongs to the people,” and the public vote affirmed the legitimacy of the government and the democratic system, guiding Taiwan out of the dark era of the KMT’s authoritarian rule, Lai said.
More important, it affirmed Taiwan’s status as “a sovereign and independent country,” he said.
“Whether called the Republic of China [ROC], Republic of China (Taiwan), or simply Taiwan, the nation has gained a renewed life through constitutional amendments,” he added.
The election also established the “status quo” that neither the ROC nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other, he said.
Thirty years on, Taiwan is widely recognized as a “beacon of democracy” in Asia and a key economic hub for the global high-tech supply chain.
However, communist China has never renounced its ambition to take over Taiwan, and continues to employ military intimidation, economic coercion and diplomatic isolation in an attempt to subjugate Taiwan. It has also adopted legal and cognitive warfare to push its “one China principle” and perpetuate the misconception that Taiwan is part of China. Furthermore, it has implemented legislation, such as the “Anti-Secession” Law, to intimidate Taiwanese through long-arm jurisdiction and transnational suppression.
Most of the nation’s presidents have been dedicated to promoting Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation. Lee redefined cross-strait ties as a “special state-to-state relationship,” while Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) called them “one country on each side” and initiated an attempt to apply for UN membership under the name “Taiwan.” The administration of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as well as the current administration have emphasized that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are “not subordinate to each other.”
As a growing number of countries have stood up to counter China’s bullying tactics, including refuting its misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 to suppress Taiwan’s international participation, and endorsing Taiwan’s autonomy, the government and the citizenry alike need to step up efforts to expand international recognition of Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation.
Within Taiwan, challenges also remain to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and valuable democracy. As Asia-Pacific Peace Research Foundation chairman Hsu Hsin-Liang (許信良) said, the lack of consensus between the ruling and opposition parties on the essence of constitutionalism has been the most vulnerable link in Taiwan’s democracy.
Ignoring surveys showing that more than 80 percent of the citizenry identify as “Taiwanese,” while the percentages of those who identify as “Chinese” or “both Taiwanese and Chinese” have sharply declined, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) declared that the party is committed to “make Taiwanese proud to be ‘Chinese.’” This demonstrates a political divergence endangering Taiwan’s sovereignty. The opposition parties have also repeatedly blocked proposed defense budgets and the general budget, putting the nation’s security and governance at risk. Much of the legislation passed by the opposition-controlled legislature have been ruled unconstitutional, constraining the president’s power to rule.
Over three decades, direct presidential elections have nurtured Taiwan’s democratic system. Facing external threats and internal political unrest, Taiwan needs to further advance and consolidate its democratic system to ensure stable national development.
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