Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil yesterday said that he is “Taiwanese,” as Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the common goal of defending democratic values.
Speaking at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Vystrcil began his speech by comparing the differences between the Czech and Taiwanese parliaments, with the former bicameral and the latter unicameral.
Although this would inevitably raise the question of which system works better, he said he believes there is not a single system that would be the best or would suit all nations, as countries in a free and democratic world have different criteria for functional democracy.
Photo: REUTERS
However, all legislative bodies in functional democratic systems uphold human life as the highest value, he added.
Laws are not passed to dictate what people should think or do, or to limit their natural desire for freedom, but to protect and care for them, and guarantee their basic rights and freedoms, Vystrcil said.
There is no perfect piece of legislation, as each law is merely an imperfect description of how lawmakers believe society should ideally function, he said.
Photo: CNA
As every law is bound to be imperfect, the fundamental role of democratic principles or the definition of the fundamental values and respect or such values is in the spotlight again, Vystrcil said.
As such, he believes that the legislative bodies of democratic nations not only have a responsibility to pass legislation, but also to defend democratic principles, he said.
Vystrcil said he is convinced that it is the duty and obligation of every democrat to support anyone who defends democratic institutions and who often establish democracy in difficult conditions.
He is therefore glad that he was able to visit the Legislative Yuan within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy to share experience and expand mutual cooperation, he said.
In 1963, then-US president John F. Kennedy, in criticizing communism, said: “Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free,” Vystrcil said.
Just as Kennedy supported West Berlin’s pursuit of freedom by proclaiming “Ich bin ein Berliner,” Vystrcil said that he would also like to express his support for Taiwan and freedom with a more humble, but equally strong statement.
“I am Taiwanese,” he said in Mandarin.
Vystrcil said he wished Taiwan an independent, true and just future.
His statement that he is Taiwanese won him a standing ovation from lawmakers across party lines.
Asked by reporters about a remark on Monday by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) that the Czech Republic would “pay” for sending a delegation to Taiwan, Vystrcil said that the visit does not go against Beijing’s “one China” principle.
He added that the Czech Republic has its “own interpretation” of that policy.
The Czech delegation is visiting Taiwan to consolidate partnership, reiterate the independent status of the Czech Republic and assert that it “would not follow the orders of non-democratic nations,” and would engage in exchanges with democratic nations with shared values, he said.
Prior to delivering his speech, Vystrcil was awarded the Legislative Yuan’s grand medal of diplomatic excellence and a model speaker’s gavel by Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃).
In a statement, You lauded Vystrcil’s visit in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s “wolf-warrior diplomacy” as the manifestation of the traditional defiant spirit of Czechs that have been evident in the Defenestrations of Prague, the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
SECURITY: The New Zealand and Australian navies also sailed military vessels through the Strait yesterday to assert the right of freedom of navigation The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Wednesday made its first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait in response to the intrusion by a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft into Japan’s sovereign airspace last month, Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday. The Japanese news platform reported that the destroyer JS Sazanamisailed down through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, citing sources in the Japanese government with knowledge of the matter. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on the reports at a regular briefing because they concern military operations. Military vessels from New Zealand and Australia also sailed through the Strait on the same day, Wellington’s defense ministry
RSS