JULY 2013

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

Peoples rights cannot be infringed on, democracy cannot go backwards!
Joint statement by six counties and cities under DPP administration
Democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law are valuable assets achieved through the blood and tears of the Taiwanese people. The DPP has always been a staunch defender of these values, but at the moment, they are facing their biggest threat. The people have used nonviolent means to simply advocate for their stands, and we have seen incidents where the people have encountered beatings and interrogations by police for simple cases such as drawing towels with their viewpoints or even crossing a street across government-blocked zones. When faced with the peoples pleas or resistance, the governing power must take a step back and listen to their voices in order to understand why the public is feeling resentful. However, the governing power has not only failed to show modesty or to conduct a self-reflection, they have also abused the states power to excessively enforce the law, infringing on the basic human rights of freedom of expression and suppressing the rights of citizens to participate in civic society.

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 In the event of these occurrences, the DPP expresses its strongest condemnation in the most solemn manner. Absolutely not, can we be governed by perversity or allow the government to brutally lash on its people. Even more, we cannot allow for the values of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law turn backwards! Taiwan is not a police state, and we cannot let Taiwan to become such! In order to protect the peoples right to express their opinions and to prevent the government from suppressing civic rights, besides creating a legal aid group, the DPP plans to actively provide assistance to citizens whose rights have been infringed on. For those who have been mistreated by the police, the DPP issues the following three points: 1. We stand firm in protecting the peoples right to express their opinions. The six administrations governed by the DPP has already decided to join in a cohesive effort to request all police under their jurisdictions to strictly ad-

JULY 2013 here to the law, not to exceed the legal boundaries, and not to engage in inappropriate handling or arresting of its citizens. We also appeal for other counties and cities to join these efforts. 2. We solemnly request to the national government that from now on, they must not command the police force to disrespect the peoples freedom, human rights or to violate the democratic rule of law. The police should be the protector of the people, and they should not be participant to the suppression of the peoples right to speak or their right to civic participation. 3. We sincerely appeal to the entire police force, that in times when similar activities are taking place, if they meet with unreasonable commands by the national security agencies, to persist in the standpoint of protecting the people, their freedoms and to ensure their security.

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JULY 2013

DPP stands rm in opposing nontransparent cross strait agreements

Since the government passed the cross strait services trade agreement in Taiwan, all sectors of Taiwanese society have voiced strong opposition to the government signing such trade agreement in a non-transparent manner. DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang paid a visit on July 27 to the large group of protesters against the services agreement sitting-in on Ketagalan Boulevard. Just about when the special legislative session was about to begin on July 29, when the agreement is set to be reviewed and deliberated, Chair Su assured the protesters that the DPP continues to stand opposed to non-transparent cross strait deals and that the DPP would give it its all to ensure the means of sustenance to the Taiwanese people. Today the people stand here in front of the presidential office to tell President Ma and his administration that they are dissatisfied with the KMTs non-transparent way of signing agreements, he said. Chair Su further affirmed to the protesters present that the DPP would stand on their side and collectively voice their opinions to request President Ma and the KMT to understand their viewpoints. He said that it was necessary that this administration understands the needs of the industry and to allow them to participate in the debate. He lastly promised that in the Legislative Yuan, the DPP will review each item of the agreement carefully, and that it will make sure that the KMT legislative caucus will not pass the agreement relentlessly. Earlier on that week, Chair Su visited the community of Pingxi in Taoyuan PAGE 3 County and sat down with workers in the hair care services industry. He urged them to call their local KMT legislators to demand them to represent their interest, instead of obeying to what President Ma and the party tells them to do. A representative from the beauty salon industry expressed worry about the services agreement, saying that she was concerned about the Chinese influence on their industry. She said that it is generally known that hair salons are places where advertising are effective because most customers must stay in the shops for at least one hour, and there is no preventing of Chinese investors and workers coming to hair salons to advertise their ideology. Another representative from a barber shop association said he was mainly concerned about the degrading situation in barber shops with the latest surging of 100NT barber shops run by large corporations. He said that their business have fallen 50% due to bad economic times, and they are concerned that it would be even worst with more Chinese investors coming-in to this industry.

JULY 2013

DPP launches website, issues pamphlets to explain impact of cross strait services agreement
In response to the Ma administrations use of administrative resources to propagandize the services trade agreement between Taiwan and China, DPP Spokesperson Wang Min-Sheng announced on July 10 the launching of a website created by the DPP to support those affected by the services agreement. The website is aimed at providing information of resources and places to turn to for those that have been negatively impacted by the agreement. The main headline on the website states, The services them to push their district legislators to protect their rights in deliberating the agreement at the special session of the Legislative Yuan to start end of July. The leaflets will be distributed to each city chapter and party service branches and reach crowds in markets, bus and train stations and temples. The website is built by staff at the DPP headquarters, and it has been linked to the DPPs official website and on Facebook. People need to find help for themselves, said Wang, citing a survey on general public knowledge regarding the services trade agreement, which showed that most people had only vague ideas about the content of the agreement due to lack of transparency in the negotiation process. trade agreement between Taiwan and China is looming: What to do?. The DPP will also create 50,000 leaflets asking the public, Do you know what they signed? in order for the Taiwanese people to understand the impact of the agreement on Taiwans industry, society and the job market in a comprehensive way, urging In the survey, among employees of the opened industries in the agreement, only 22.10 % of the informants knew that their industry was in the opened list, while up to 62.60% wrongly thought they werent. Still another 16.3% had no knowledge whether they were included at all. Among the self-employed, only 24.7% had learned PAGE 4

 that their industry had been opened, while 57.6% thought they were not included and 17.6% reported they had no knowledge. Among professional workers, only 26.8% knew that their industry had been opened, while 58.9% thought they were not included; still another 14.30% said to have no knowledge. Mr. Wang said, given that the services industry make up 70% of Taiwans GDP, with about 5 million workers at stake, the impact of the agreement is enormous. However, the Ma administration has hidden the truth, leaving people ill-informed about the impact confronting them. Mr. Wang further explained that the website suggests three methods to understand and respond to the services agreement. First, it urges people to find out if their industry has been included. Second, they should call their district legislators to assure substantial deliberation of the agreement that protect Taiwans industries in a way that the people, not President Ma or the KMT, would expect it to. Third, people may join the Defend Our Jobs movement and spread it through Facebook so more people will be able to see if they are at stake, too. When asked how he felt about the presence of two officials from the Ministry of Economy gathering information at the press conference on that day, Mr. Wang said it was good if the government would listen to the opinions of the people and the industries. He added that the DPP had gathered the peoples and industrys thoughts about the agreement, and it will fully represent them, instead of taking heed of whatever the KMT and President Ma says, as the current government has been doing.

JULY 2013

Citing newspaper news that Taiwan and New Zealand are soon signing the Economic Cooperation Agreement (ECA), Mr. Wang said that New Zealand and Singapore are quite different countries from China as they are free economies. He further said that the DPP has been committed to free trade agreements with the two countries since it was in power, and it continues to support further economic cooperation. Lastly, he said that the DPP will encourage its legislators to help revise tax laws in favor of the agreement when it is under substantial deliberation.

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JULY 2013

Uncover truth, go after those responsible, push for military reform in Hungs death: DPP
joint efforts of the DPP Headquarters and its legislative caucus with the purpose to research and draft bills on how to reform Taiwans military. He announced at the meeting that the DPP Central Standing Committee has passed the forming of the subcommittee and its members will include legislators Gao Jyh-peng, Wu Pingjui, Hsiao Bi-khim, Chen Ting-fei and Tsai Chi-chang; and DPPs Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi. Chair Su also expressed his condolences to the Hung family, saying that not only the victim, Hung Chong-chiu, suffered in this incident, but his family is also in pain. The military should be solely focused on finding those responsible so that his family can find some peace, he said. However, this is not the first incident of military abuse in Taiwan, said Chair Su. He said that in view of the publics dissatisfaction with the military, the DPP Legislative Caucus has set-up a complaint hotline for the public to file complaints for those serving in the army whether professionally or as part of the conscription service. DPP legislators with legal aid background will distribute the work between them to handle each case in an efficient manner.

Regarding the death of the army conscript this July and inciting a public crisis in the military, Chair Su Tseng-chang gave a report of the DPPs plan of action at the Central Standing Committee on July 17, listing three major demands that the DPP has made to the KMT administration, which were: uncover the truth, go after those responsible and push for reform. Chair Su said that the incident took place almost half a month ago and there has been no uncovering of the truth so far. He said that the public has seen enough bureaucratic wrangling, including inconsistent statements by officials after the incident. Additionally, missing video footage has also caused the public to increase their bad impression of the military system in Taiwan. Seeing that the most basic demand by the victims family and the public is for the government to uncover the truth, and there are no developments so far, the DPP wishes to use its influence to push for more reform, Chair Su said. He announced the DPPs formulation of a subcommittee through the

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JULY 2013

Expanded China Forums opens this month at the DPP

The month of July saw two important events for the DPP in cross strait affairs, with two forums held concentrated on China policy. The forums were organized by the DPPs China Affairs Committee, which was formed in May of this year. Since China Affairs Committee meetings are privately held and smaller in size, these forums, titled the Huashan China Forums, will be more comprehensive and expansive, open to members of the academia, think tanks, interested public citizens as well as officials or former officials from different political parties and government administrations. The DPP will hold a total of nine Huashan China Forums. 99 Resolution still the DPPs core value The first forum meeting was held on July 4, subtitled Main Values and Visions for Taiwans China Policy, and it was presided by Chair Su Tsengchang. In his concluding remarks, Chair Su said that it was important for the DPPs China policy to be international in nature. He said that in his visits to Singapore, Japan, the United States and Canada, he discovered that even though Taiwan is small, it plays an important role in influencing the worlds state of affairs. He further said that our international friends are interested in Taiwans developments, and they also have wide expectations for when the DPP returns to power. He lastly appealed for everyone to have confidence in Taiwan. Participants discussed the DPPs Resolution regarding Taiwans Future, which according to Chair Su, still remained a core value for the DPP. Even though ideologically, the DPPs China Policy had some differences with the KMT, he stressed that it was essential that both political parties not to be engaged in a competition game for Beijings support. The 92 Consensus The second Huashan China Forum was held on July 25. Chiu I-jen, who served as national security adviser during the past DPP administration, presided over the meeting. The92 Consensus was the main topic discussed. Director of the DPPs Public Survey Center Wu Hsiang-jung first presented public opinion surveys on the peoples views towards the 92 Consensus. Following, there were remarks by Mr. Su Chi, former secretary-general of the National Security Council under the KMT administration; Mr. Chen Ming-tong, former chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council and Mr. Chen Rong-jye, former secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation under the DPP administration; and lastly, Mr. Shen Fu-hsiung, former DPP legislator.

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 Two main points were issued by the DPP at a press statement ensuing the meeting, which are highlighted below: 1. The DPP advocates peace, protecting Taiwans sovereignty and insisting on the value of democracy. In order to find alternative methods to the 92 Consensus, party members have issued suggestions that include: different constitutional interpretations, the DPPs 1999 Resolution regarding Taiwans Future, strengthen the awareness of the Republic of China, among others. All these can serve as policy directions, but they must all go through more wide internal party discussion. 2. In order to pursue cross strait peace and for Taiwan to have greater international space at the same time, besides having to take into account the China and US factors, we must take greater consideration to the views of the Taiwanese public. Especially, we must be able to show to the Taiwanese

JULY 2013 people that they can trust the DPP to be capable of handling cross strait relations. This is the most important issue that the DPP must tackle with. The third Huashan China Forum will be titled Reactions to Chinas Influences on Taiwan, and it will be presided by Mr. Yu Shyi-kun, former premier under the DPP administration. The date of the meeting will be later announced by the DPPs China Affairs Committee.

Remarks by Chair Su Tseng-chang at rst Huashan China Forum

July 4, 2013 There were some that didnt have a positive outlook on the formation of the DPPs China Affairs Committee, doubting that the DPP was capable of gathering a consensus. Nevertheless today, not only has the China Affairs Committee been formed, but we have also held our first meeting. I am delighted today to participate, and following the lines of our Taiwans China Agenda, we hope to gather more opinions from respected members of the party, ushering-in more voices from civic society so that we can engage in wide discussion, and so that we can learn from each other. We have planned to hold nine meetings in order to talk more extensively and in-depth. During the process of formulating a policy toward China, we must find ways to create a policy that not just reflects the partys core foundation, but it must also represent the wide support of civic society. The China Policy is now the topic of the times in which all Taiwanese must face. Especially now, the current situation is one where China is not just across the Strait, but the China factor has already entered Taiwan, and their strategy towards Taiwan is becoming more refined and delicate. Whether one is used to it or not, Taiwan must face up to it and respond accordingly; and whether we like it or not, the DPP has the responsibility to issue a China policy that conforms to the interests of Taiwans future. PAGE 8

JULY 2013 never been shy of discussion because diverse opinion justly reflects the DPPs nature. This also shows to the outside world the DPPs innovative and lively characteristics. However, having discussion doesnt mean there will be a winning or losing side, or with the purpose to trample on anyone. Dealing with China doesnt mean that one is pro-China or anti-China. I believe that if we are all in Taiwan, we are all on the same side, and we all have the same objectives. What we need to do is to protect Taiwans core values, to create the most beneficial interest for Taiwan, and to issue a policy of stability and peace for the region, bringing out our greatest contribution. Let us give all our efforts. Thank You!

However, the agendas of the people of Taiwan vary based on their different values. Additionally, the interaction between Taiwan and China should not be solely on bilateral relations because it impacts the balance of power among the countries in the region as well as the competition and cooperation between the major powers. The public at the moment is growingly dissatisfied towards the ruling party for their overly-inclined China policy, and they are identifying more with the DPPs persistence in safeguarding Taiwan. At the same time, the public also highly expects the DPP to take more concrete actions in regards to cross strait relations. On one hand, we must continue adhering to our mission of safeguarding the Taiwan consensus. On the other hand, we must also strengthen and balance our capabilities towards those with different values. Hence, in a complex and challenging environment, we are here to explore our hearts aspirations and confront the China factor. We must explore which values are those in which Taiwan can absolutely not abandon and which ideals we must pursue. Three years ago, I took the lead in issuing the idea of a Taiwan Consensus, promoting survival is king and democracy as the foundation. The Taiwan Consensus that I advocate is one in which a consensus is gathered on the efforts made for hundreds of years by generations of Taiwanese people for survival and livelihood. I believe in the question: why should we discuss the future if we cant survive now? If we cannot preserve the current democratic system, in which we all live freely and democratically and in which we can democratically determine our core values, what is the meaning of simply surviving? The DPP is an open and diverse political party. In regards to confronting China, there are many different opinions within the party, and this is a normal phenomenon. I have no doubt that the discussion today will be quite animated, and I dont expect anyone to reserve their opinions. The DPP has

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JULY 2013

China Affairs Committee: strengthen Taiwans economic advantages, develop cross strait equality
The China Affairs Committee held its second meeting on July 11, two months after the last meeting on May 9, and which will continue to be held every two months. Below are the summary points of the meeting: wan. At the same time, it must also negotiate with China on strengthening IPR protection. (3) Retaining talent With Taiwans social security network, which includes national healthcare, the pension system and The economy is Taiwans lifeline and the growing labor protection, retaining our talent Chinese economy is a topic that Taiwan cannot should be key. This is also a protective avoid. Since the cross strait relationship is a commeasure for the effects of globalization. plex one, Taiwans economic relationship with Encouraging our citizens to remain in China is not less simple. We must not solely take the Taiwan would mean more local consumpoint of view from the economy and trade to deal erism and ensuring Taiwans economic with Chinas economic relationship. Consequently, vitality. Taiwans economic relationship with China should (4) Guarding our core values freedom, fairhave a strategic objective. We believe that our econess, openness and diversity are impornomic strategy towards China should be focused on tant foundations for Taiwans civic socitwo main objectives: ety. These are essential elements that pushed Taiwans economic development, 1. Strengthen Taiwans economic advantages and they are also the core values that (1) Strengthen capital markets compared to protect Taiwans sovereign existence. In other Asian countries, Taiwans capital order to become an exceptional capitalist market is mature, containing high liquidsociety, no matter how economic and ity and possessing sound structures and trade interactions between Taiwan and sufficient regulatory provisions. These China develop, these values must be inadvantages are reasons enough why we sisted on. should protect Taiwans capital market 2. Developing an equal cross strait relationship and incentivize investors, Taiwanese businessmen and foreign investments to Since Taiwan and China dont have equal ecostay in Taiwan. nomic systems, and Taiwans market is highly (2) Maintain technological lead in order to competitive and open while Chinas is strictly maintain our lead on the technological controlled, the cross strait exchange process industry and for Taiwans economy to must go through two principles, which is the remain autonomous, the deepening of careful protection of the democratic process and cross strait trade should not be subject to non-transparency. Furthermore, the benefits of China. In regards to Taiwans highlycross strait exchanges must be enjoyed by evedeveloped manufacturing industry, its ryone. Lastly, Taiwan has not asked for concesmanagerial and operational know-how sions by China or has it necessarily benefited so and its R&D capacity, the governing far in cross strait exchanges, and this is the reaauthorities should provide them with an son why it is essential that we build an equal optimal operational environment in Taicross strait relationship. PAGE 10

JULY 2013

Second DPP Youth Training kicks off

Starting on July 30, the DPPs Department of Youth Affairs hosted for its second year a youth program for students and recent graduates with seminars and on-site training on public policy and civic participation, including arranging participants to intern at the DPP headquarters for a period of two weeks or more. According to Mr. Chou Yu-shou, deputy director of the Youth Department, this year was special because the DPP also coordinated for the selected interns to serve traineeships at non-profit organizations. Even though tens of thousands of young people applied, the Youth Department was only able to select 24 outstanding individuals. However, this was an increase of one third from last year, where only 18 individuals were selected to participate. The aim of the program is to inspire youth to actively participate in public affairs, to develop a platform where young people can engage in politics and to promote democracy as well as to keep up-todate on issues that matter to youth today. DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang was also present at the program opening to welcome the participants and meet them face-to-face.

We are an open party and we hope to encourage practical learning through real apprenticeship, Chair Su said. We also wish to encourage the participants present to take advantage of this opportunity to learn materials in which they dont usually see in the standard textbook. Chair Su also gave his words of wisdom to the young participants by suggesting to them to never abandon their dreams, to look to the future and play to their strengths, and to use their knowledge to serve the community. Participants came from different universities all across the country and from different majors. A graduate in the major of Italian Language and Literature from Fujen Catholic University said that their reason for participating was because of personal interests in political participation. Another student from National Chengchi University in the field of law said they participated because growing up in China, they didnt have exposure to politics and civic participation.

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JULY 2013

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

PUBLISHED BY: Department of International Aairs Democratic Progressive Party 9F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306 Fax: 886-2-2393-0342 Email: foreign@dpp.org.tw Website: http://www.dpp.org.tw

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