The spread of illiberal democracy across the globe coincides with the rise of populist tendencies in many democratic countries, and countries like Taiwan should maintain a vibrant democratic culture, free press and welfare system to resist it, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) chairman Pierre Haski said yesterday.
Haski made the remarks at a forum in Taipei, where he said that there are two kinds of democracies: constitutional democracy and illiberal democracy.
The former ensures individual rights, the rule of law and an independent judiciary, while the latter exhibits patterns of repression while maintaining the appearance of democracy, Haski said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
An apparent rise of illiberal democracy can be observed in the US, France, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Russia and many other countries, he said.
The “cult of the strongman,” the manipulation of nationalist myth to include a glorious past and xenophobia can be seen across those countries, Haski said.
US President Donald Trump’s “make America great again” slogan or Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s boasting about a strong Turkish empire are examples of this, he said.
The Cold War divide between countries and ideologies has been replaced by a new divide in society, with more and more people becoming disenchanted with existing democracy and market systems, Haski said, adding that this was manifest in Brexit, Trump’s victory and the popularity of France’s far-right leader Marine le Pen.
Meanwhile, “China is not in the realm of illiberal democracy. It is not liberal or a democracy at all,” Haski said.
China’s immediate problem is not its undemocratic system, but the nonexistence of the rule of law, he said, citing corruption cases in which village mayors monopolized local land sales and embezzled village funds, but villagers could not obtain help from the judiciary, the media or international organizations.
When asked whether democracy is applicable to China or Asia, with former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) cited as an example of someone who rejected the Western idea of democracy, Haski said he respects people’s freedom to choose political systems, but the problem is people are not really given a choice at all.
Taiwan has a vibrant democratic culture that could resist illiberal democracy, Haski said.
“Taiwan has made incredible progress in democracy in the sense that it has seen two changes of government in power,” he said. “That’s a lot of democracy happening.”
“The purpose of illiberal democracy is to prevent [those changes].” Haski said. “[Illiberal democracy] has the appearance of democracy but you don’t change the party in power. Taiwan has managed to reach that [democratic] state without too much pain.”
Taiwan is ranked a leading country in press freedom, he said, and although its mainstream media might be controlled by large businesses, a plurality of opinions can be observed on online media, creating a vibrant media culture.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS