dpp newsletter aug2013
TRANSCRIPT
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7/30/2019 DPP Newsletter Aug2013
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AUGUST 2013
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DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS
DPP delegation visits Thailand
DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang led a delegation to
Thailand, departing on Aug. 15 to conduct
meetings with leaders of the main opposition
party, the Thai Democrat Party, and interna-
tional think tanks operating in Thailand as wellas meeting with DPP supporters and Taiwanese
businessmen.
According to Mr. Liu Shih-Chung, director of
the Department of International Affairs, this is
Chair Sus fourth trip overseas since taking the
chairmanship position, and due to the long his-
tory of Taiwanese businessmen making invest-
ments in Asia, this area is top priority for the
DPP.
Mr. Liu said the main purpose of this trip is to
show the DPPs support of Taiwanese busi-
nessmen in Thailand, also hoping to gather sug-
gestions regarding better investment planning
and strengthening economic and trade relationswith other countries.
Chair Su has conducted three overseas trips in
the first half of this year, first to Japan in Febru-
ary, Singapore in April and to the U.S. and Can-
ada in June. Mr. Liu emphasized that this times
visit to Thailand is part of the DPPs global
strategic planning as Chair Su has placed great
importance in promoting foreign relations for
Taiwan on behalf of the party.
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The delegation this time was comprised of mem-
bers from the Subcommittee for Economic and
Industry of the DPPs think tank, Chairman of the
DPPs Taoyuan Branch Mr. Cheng Wen-tsang
and Legislators Gao Jyh-Peng, Wu Ping-Jui, ChiuYi-Ying, Pang Meng-an, Tsai Chi-Chang and Bi-
khim Hsiao.
Taiwanese businessmen promote Taiwan in local
Thai communities
ChairSu first headed to the guest center of the
Thai-Taiwan Business Association to join a dia-
logue with executives of Taiwan enterprises op-
erating in Thailand. He praised Taiwanese busi-nessmens devotion to the local communities
from relief efforts and construction assistance to
providing volunteers at the Suvarnabhumi Airport
to assist international tourists on behalf of Tai-
wan.
The DPP delegation was greeted by a group of
local Taiwanese businessmen and DPP volunteers
at the DPPs Southeast Asia Headquarters of Su-
varnabhumi Airport.
President of the Thai-Taiwanese Business Asso-
ciation said that since 1988, responding to the
Go-South policy,
many Taiwanese
businessman
moved to Thai-
land where they
started what later
was registered asthe Thai-Taiwan
Businessmen As-
sociation in order
to promote the
rights of Taiwan-
ese in Thailand
while fostering
cooperation be-
tween both coun-
tries. Now, theassociation has
fifteen chambers across Thailand.
Chair Su thanked the Taiwanese businessmen for
their cordial hospitality, saying that they serve as
the best model for their feet in Thailand, havinga vision from all over the world and providing
their feedback to Taiwan. He also acknowledged
their contribution to Taiwan-Thailand relations
through deep involvement with relief efforts and
construction assistance.
Chair Su further added that he was immediately
impressed by Thailands progress manifested by
the construction of the new airport since his last
visit some time ago. As the country also has alongstanding and highly influential presence of
Taiwanese businessmen, and as the country is
Taiwans third-largest country of foreign invest-
ment for Thailand, the visit was meant for sup-
porting Taiwanese entrepreneurs while learning
from their experiences. He said that their opin-
ions will be used for the DPPs policy regarding
international trade, especially areas concerning
Southeast Asia in order to strengthen the relation-
ship between Taiwan and its neighboring coun-tries.
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Visits with Thai Democrat Party
On Aug. 16, the DPP delegation met with Leader
of the Opposition of the Thai Democrat Party and
Former Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, at
the House of Representatives of the National As-
sembly of Thailand.
Members of the Taiwan-Thailand parliamentary
friendship group also hosted an evening reception
for the DPP delegation. Members of the reception
included Hon. Kiat Sittheeamorn (MP), Hon. Ka-
sit Piromya (MP), Hon. Ongard Klampaiboon
(MP), Hon. Buranaj Smutharaks (MP), Hon. Isra
Sunthornvut (MP), Hon. Chavanond Intara-
komalyasut (MP), among others.
In his address at the evening reception, Chair
Su said that the collaboration between both par-
ties has had a long history, mainly starting from
both being founding members of the Council of
Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), an alli-
ance of liberal democratic parties in Asia. In the
20 years of holding exchanges, both have been
successful in gaining support from the people
to achieve ruling power. He added that in the
future, he hoped that democracy and freedom
continue to serve as common values to support
regional peace. He further wished that both
sides economic relations continue to flourish.
In the meeting at the National Assembly of
Thailand, Chair Su said he shared the same
thoughts as Former Primer Minister Vejjajiva,
whereas Taiwan, as a medium-sized economy,
must not allow it being dominated by the eco-
nomic strategy of larger countries. Besides both
sides agreeing that Taiwan and Thailand must
enhance greater economic relations, Chair Su
said he hoped that Thai officials can offer their
assistance in supporting Taiwans bid to join
international organizations.
Mr. Vejjajiva expressed great concern regarding
the issues of democracy development and eco-nomic growth. Both sides agreed that in addi-
tion to economic growth, it is also important to
promote democracy.
Additionally, Chair Su expressed concern over
the worlds current events, especially the situa-
tions in the Middle East and the political crisis in
Egypt. He said that the DPP in Taiwan is also fac-
ing the sole control of one political party, but like
the support of democracy by the international
community in the past, there is now great concern
over Egypt. He emphasized the need of coopera-
tion and welcomed the platform provided by or-
ganizations such as CALD.
DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang pictured here with Mr. Rainer Adam,regional director of the Southeast Asian headquarters of the FriedrichNaumann Foundation, an international NGO"om Germany thatpromotes liberal and democratic values.
Visiting the National Assembly of Thailand
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Chair Su: Taiwan made a milestone of civilpower over army reform
At the DPPs Central Standing Committee on Aug.
7, the DPP held a long discussion concerning the
military crisis in Taiwan as a result of the death of
army conscript Mr. Hong Chong-chiu.
During the meeting, Mr. Koo Li-hsiung delivered a
report titled Human Rights in the Army and Fur-
ther Reforms of the Military Trial. Chair Su
Tseng-chang commented that the incident of Mr.
Hung represents a case where civil power prevails,
prompting the Legislative Yuan to pass laws that
make criminal cases be take over in the regular
civil court during non-war times. He said that the
DPP will continue to track the progress of Mr.
Hungs case and oversee the upcoming reforms on
human rights and the trial system in the army,
which is one of the most challenging issues that we
are facing today.
Chair Su said that, despite the comment of the In-
terpretations of the Grand Justices Council No.524,
No. 436 (1997.10.03) that endorsed a one-tier trial
court system, reforms have eluded the secretive
military trial and court system. This culminates in
reoccurring abuses, of which even the victims fam-
ily could not get justice, he said. Such cases have
exposed a huge inadequacy in Taiwans human
rights campaign, which Chair Su attributed to the
armys problems and public distrust as a result of
the lack of accountability and incompetency of
military chiefs, an issue for which President Ma
should be held responsible.
Citing the Hung Incident and the stepping down of
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two defense ministers within a week, Chair Su said
that the people felt betrayed by the army, a senti-
ment as much disastrous to the army as to the na-
tional defense itself. He further reported that in
June, the DPP invited thirty retired high-ranking
military officials to a series of in-depth and intensediscussions that produced a National Defense Blue
Book, calling for the recovery of the national
armys three faiths.
Chair Su appealed for President Ma to shoulder the
responsibility as the armys commander in chief.
He said President Ma should look deep down at the
entrenched problems of the military system so that
Taiwans national defense can regain the trust by
the soldiers, the people and our neighboring coun-tries.
As 250,000 people took to the streets at Ketagalan
Boulevard last Saturday on Aug. 3, one of the big-
gest rallies held this year without the support of a
political party and mainly by the will of the people,
Chair Su said this rally not only expressed what the
people wanted from the government, but it was also
a milestone of civil power calling for policy
changes. As a result, human rights reform in the
army pushed the legislative body to act immedi-
ately and make legislation happen. He called the
demonstration a remarkable civil movement that is
the fruit of the countrys increasingly mature de-
mocracy.
Democracy is not just about elections, said Chair
Su. A more progressive society and more devel-
oped democracy will not be possible until more
people are willing to fight injustice and defend the
common good.
He also challenged fellow party members to re-
spond faster to the demands of a growing civil so-
ciety by materializing these wishes into policies,
fulfilling the duties of a political party.
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The DPP conducted a poll on August 20 to 22, gathering public opinion regarding their approval rating on
the DPP and the KMT on the areas of public service. The sampling of the poll was 1,151 samples via tele-
phone polling and targeting Taiwan citizens with voting rights.
1. DPP vs. KMT approval rating
Areas DPP (A) KMT (B) No Opinion Difference
(A-B)
Protection of
democracy andfreedom
58.4% 18.7% 22.9% 39.7%
Labor policy 53.4% 16.7% 29.9% 36.7%
Agricultural de-
velopment
50.3% 17.5% 32.2% 32.8%
Environment and
energy sources
44.7% 25.1% 30.2% 19.6%
Economic devel-
opment
44.1% 27.8% 28.1% 16.3%
Social welfare 43.5% 28.5% 28% 15%
Finance 40.4% 28.5% 31.1% 11.9%
Ethnic policy 39.8% 31.5% 28.7% 8.3%
Education and
culture
37.3% 30.4% 32.4% 6.9%
Transportationand construction
34.6% 33.5% 31.9% 1.1%
National defense
and foreign rela-
tions
31.7% 40.6% 27.7% -8.9%
Cross strait rela-
tions
22.6% 58.8% 18.6% -36.2%
DPP releases poll on DPP, KMT approvalratings
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2. In regards to the honesty and public integrity of
civil servants, there were 42.2% that believed
the DPP administration was better and 22% that
believed the KMT administration is better.
3. In understanding the needs of the public, there
were 62.3% that believed the DPP administra-
tion was better and 16.1% that believed the
KMT administration is better.
4. Overall, there were 40.7% of the public that be-
lieved the DPP administration was better while
35.7% believed that the KMT administration
has more governance capability.
5. There were 53.3% of the public that hoped to
see the DPP regain back the administration in
2016 while 22.8% hoped to see the KMT con-
tinue governing.
Party Approval Rating
In party approval rating, the DPP received 33.9%,
the KMT 19.8%, independent voters 16.1%. From
a pan blue-green perspective, the pan-green team
received 44.1% and the pan-blue team received
34.4%.
6.
On behalf of DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang, a group
of DPP representatives negotiated with President
Ma Ying-jeous staff at the presidential office on
Aug. 28 regarding holding a debate concerning
the cross strait services trade agreement. Both
sides agreed that the debate will be televised and
to be held on Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. in the afternoon.
The debate will be held between DPP Chair Su
Tseng-chang and President Ma Ying-jeou.
Legislator Tsai Chi-chang, one of the representa-
tives, said that the negotiations went smoothly,
and the DPP used the same concept as the ECFA
debate three years ago. He noted that Chair Su
will debate on the standpoints given to him by the
public in order to rightly represent the role of the
opposition party.
Besides Legislator Tsai, the DPP negotiating
group was comprised of Mr. Wang Ming-shen,
director of the chairs office; Mr. Huang Chih-tah,
deputy director of the Policy Research Commit-
tee; and Mr. Huang Li-ke, deputy director of the
Culture and Communication Department.
The debate will be televised over the public tele-
vision station, and it will be hosted by media de-
velopment manager Mr. Ho Kuo-hua. According
to Legislator Tsai, the ECFA debate took over
two-and-a-half hours, which many said it was too
long. He said the DPP hopes this time to complete
the debate within two hours, by both sides agree-
ing to discuss four items instead of the original
five.
Debate on cross strait services tradeagreement set for Sept. 15
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Huashan China Forums recap
The DPP held its third Huashan China Forum on
Aug. 15 with Former Chair Mr. Yu Shyi-kun presid-
ing. The title of the forum was Reactions to Chinas
Influences on Taiwan.
Guest speakers included Mr. Liu Te-shun, former
deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council un-
der both DPP and KMT administrations, and Mr.
Lau Ka Yee, a democracy activist from Hong Kong
to discuss Hong Kongs experiences under China.
Director of the DPPs China Affairs Department,
Mr. Honigmann Hong, said the DPP has consistently
pushed for the normalization of cross strait relations,
but with the China factor, the exchanges have
been controlled by the Beijing authorities, all of
which prevent normal exchanges. He said that even
though Taiwan is a small country, it has a free sys-
tem and an open society. In facing the influence of
China over Taiwan, the question lies whether Tai-wans democracy will receive a greater impact, he
said.
According to Mr. Hong, the forum was based on
discussing how to engage in cooperation with not
just the Beijing authorities, but also with Chinese
civic and academic groups. As there are opportuni-
ties and challenges to the rise of China, he said the
complexity of the topic cannot be viewed from a
black and white perspective. He further emphasized
that dealing with China should not be the responsi-
bility of just one political party.
Experts conclude enlarging exchanges between civic
societies from both sides should be priority
The fourth Huashan China Forum was held on Aug.
29, presided by Former Chair Ms. Tsai Ing-wen. The
topic of the forum this time was titled Cross Strait
Civic Society Exchanges Know-How.
During the forum, Ms. Tsai emphasized the impor-
tance of the DPP to research and analyze the crea-
tion of relationships with civic societies from China,
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searching for the common language between DPP
supporters and for the party to play a role in facili-
tating. She said that as long as the DPP persists in
the value of progress, the party will be able to
achieve the goals of dialogue and understanding be-
tween both sides.
Ms. Tsai said that from the perspective of the DPP,
in order to formulate a comprehensive China policy
that surpasses the current circumstances, it must in-
volve the leadership of civic societies to push for the
relevant topics. She said that even though
there are greater numbers of exchanges now,
there is still a lack of understanding on a
systematic level. This means, she said, the
accumulation of public knowledge is lack-ing, and this is something that the DPP must
focus its efforts in the future.
Another guest speaker, Secretary-General
for the New School for Democracy, Mr.
Wang Shing-Chung said that since the DPP
lacked a comprehensive strategy, there was
no specific exchange plans between cross
strait civic groups.
Chinese activists Wang Dan, who was present
at the meeting, said that
when the DPP discusses
China, it should refrain
from referring to it as one
entity, and the challengeslie on whether the DPP is
capable of differentiating
between China, the Chinese
people and the Chinese
authorities
Mr. Wu Jieh-min from the
Institute of Sociology of
Academia Sinica, said that
the Xi-Li administration inChina has been focused on
anti-corruption and re-
form, but it has also con-
tinued to suppress new
democratic movements, including the Internet and
human rights activists. He further said that the basic
relationship between the cross straits should be de-
fined as an inter-state relationship, however, the
cooperation methods between the KMT and CCP is
definitely showing that it is not an inter-state rela-tionship, enlarging even more a domestication of
politics. He said that Taiwanese civic groups must
take active participation in order to prevent them
from participating in the dialogue.
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DPP conducts forum series reviewing the2000 - 2008 administration
The DPPs think tank, the New Frontier Founda-
tion, announced on Aug. 16 that it will organize a
series of forums to discuss the positives and nega-
tives of the eight years of DPP administration from
2000 to 2008. The series will be called Hardwork-
ing Government for the People to Strengthen Tai-
wan - the DPPs Eight Years in Power.
The think tanks executive director, Mr. Lin Wan-
yi, said that the conference series will invite past
government officials and academics to gather opin-
ions from civic society as well as the media. The
purpose of these conferences is to review the DPPs
past administration achievements and setbacks in
order to prepare the DPP for the future.
The conference series were scheduled to take place
on August 23 and 30 and September 6 and 14. Dis-
cussions will be divided into the domains of consti-
tutional politics, national defense, foreign relations,
economy, finance, civic society, education and cul-
ture. There will be 18 sessions combined in total.
Below is a summary of
Chair Sus remarks on
August 23:
The DPP had eight
years of experience
from 2000 to 2008,
and if it did a good
job, then how is it
possible that it
didnt continue gov-
erning? However, if
it did a bad job, then
why is the public
having such nega-
tive sentiments to-
wards the current
administration with an approval rating lower than
the DPP in the past? The DPP has now been in op-
position for five years and with the ability to make
comparisons between the current and past admini-
strations, it is now time to reflect on the past eight
years.
Many say that the DPP is incapable of discussing,
or there is no point, in remembering the past ad-
ministration, but this conference is to give a report
to the public and to engage in dialogue in order to
take over historical responsibility. Because with
time, one can see the results clearly and putting
emotions aside on what was right and what was
wrong. With a humble attitude, we are taking a
practical approach to the discussion and bravely
facing up to any issues of the past. This will make it
much better for our future!
I would like to thank our former officials and
members of the academia for their assistance in
making preparations to make this conference possi-
ble. In the next four weeks, we will have a wide
range of discussions and I hope that the DPP can
deliver to the public and make it better for Taiwan,
achieving the motto of a hardworking government
for the people to strengthen Taiwan.
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DPP receives U.S. visitors from both housesof Congress in August
The DPP received Mr. Robert Menendez, senior
United States Senator from New Jersey on Aug. 19.
Since Chair Su was visiting Thailand at that time,
the delegation was received by DPP Legislative
Caucus Convener Mr. Ker Chien-ming and DPP
Representative to the U.S. Mr. Joseph Wu.
During the meeting, they discussed the topics of
Taiwans national defense, U.S.-Taiwan relations
and current domestic politics.
In response to Senator Menendez question regard-
ing the state of affairs in Taiwans domestic poli-
tics, Mr. Wu responded that Taiwans national de-
fense is an area faced with the most urgent need. In
the years of President Mas administration, the na-
tional defense budget has fallen to only take 2.1%
of the countrys GDP, which he said this is insuffi-
cient to conform to the current needs of the army.
Mr. Wu further reported that the recent participa-
tion by the Taiwanese public against the abuse of
power over the death of army conscript Mr. Hong
Chong-chiu, has also prompted the DPP to re-
spond through the Legislative Yuan to review mili-
tary reform. He emphasized to Senator Menendez
that the DPP believes that Taiwans self-defense
capabilities is highly important.
Senator Menendez also asked about recent devel-
opments in Taiwans energy issues and how the
DPP is able to promote legislation by having a mi-
nority in the Legislative Yuan. Mr. Ker responded
that even though the DPP has never been able to
achieve majority in the legislature, it has resorted
to take a more active form of questioning in order
to represent pubic views. He said that the DPP has
also largely engaged the cooperation from civic
groups to put pressure on the government on issues
such as the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, military
reform and the cross strait services agreement.
Lastly, Senator Menendez inquired about the DPPs
future campaign strategy. Mr. Wu said that he be-
lieved the DPP would be able to garner greater sup-
port not only from the Southern areas, but it will
also be able to make strides in the traditional Cen-
tral areas.
In related news, DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang re-
ceived at the DPP Headquarters on Aug. 22 Mrs.Judy Chu, member of the House of Representatives
from Californias 27th district and Mrs. Madeleine
Bordallo, member of the House of Representatives
from Guams At-Large District.
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DEMOCRACY &PROGRESS
PUBLISHED BY:
Department of InternationalAffairs DemocraticProgressive Party
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Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306
Fax: 886-2-2393-0342
Email: [email protected]
Website:
http://www.dpp.org.tw
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