Taiwan is obligated to reciprocate to the international community and stand with global religious leaders and the pan-democratic camp, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) told the opening ceremony of the Taiwan International Religious Freedom Summit yesterday.
Lai thanked Samuel Brownback, who in February 2020 invited him to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, for allowing him to participate in the international religious summit and roundtable conference.
He said that event had taught him a lot, such as how religious freedom is still severely persecuted in many places.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Taiwan has been through its share of dictatorial oppression, and the liberty and democracy it enjoys is the result of the people bravely standing against such pressure, he said.
Taiwan’s has been ranked 10th in the world and first in Asia in terms of democratic achievements, according to The Economist, while US-based Freedom House has given Taiwan a score of 94 in terms of democracy, placing it only slightly behind Japan and ranking second in Asia, he said.
Taiwan has 100 percent religious freedom, regardless of the institution, he added.
Lai also commented on the venue, the Grand Hotel, which was where the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was founded.
Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) was there on that day, Lai said as You looked on.
As long as there is autocracy, there will be religious persecution, he said.
Like many other emerging countries, Taiwan has been through its share of colonization and oppression, but it has matured into a fully democratic country, touted as the “Beacon of Democracy in Asia,” You said.
Taiwan’s efforts and achievements show that the words of former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) — who died in 2015 — that “human rights and democracy are Western creations that are unsuitable for Asian nations” were false, You added.
Pew Research Center in 2014 put Taiwan second among 232 countries on its Religion Diversity Index, while Freedom House had the nation 17th on its Freedom Index, he said.
Taiwan’s experience of fighting oppression and autocracy has created a tolerant society that respects cultural diversity, he said.
Religious freedom is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, and the government fully respects different cultures and beliefs, You added.
“We are proud to say that a church can exist side by side with a mosque, both of which can exist side by side with a traditional Taiwanese temple,” he said.
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