According to the Freedom in the World 2006 report recently published by Freedom House, in the two main categories of political rights and civil liberties, Taiwan is a "free" country on a par with the United States and Japan, and in the subcategory of freedom of speech and religion, Taiwan received the highest possible score. This great honor is the result of the long-term striving and struggling of Taiwan's people, and is the most precious asset Taiwan has for asserting its place in the international community.
Under the authoritarian system of the past, not only were the people deprived of freedom of speech, but freedom of the press was also subjected to tight control and oppression. During the three years following the lifting of martial law, from 1988 to 1990, the number of politically related magazines and books that were banned and confiscated came to 284,243 copies. During the martial law era, the number of publications banned and confiscated by the Taiwan Garrison Command of course exceeded this amount by many hundreds of times.
This government, therefore, has always striven to maintain an ever forbearing attitude with respect to the freedoms of speech, the press, publication, and assembly in hopes of liberating Taiwan's people from the spiritual shackles that have bound them. The government has done so not only to enable the people to dare to speak, but to ensure the protection of every person's right to truly speak his or her mind and express views different from those of others.
In the past, there was no freedom, so we struggled to get freedom. In the past, we were oppressed by the political system, so we opposed the system. But today's Taiwan is a democratic nation. Besides seeking freedom, we must also consolidate the rule of law, accept the responsibilities associated with that, and work together to sustain our system of democratic, constitutional government. Political disagreements or disputes should be handled in accordance with constitutional procedures and the provisions of laws. In cases that involve judicial action, the judiciary's independence in conducting investigations and trials must be respected. This is both a basic tenet of democracy as well as its core value.
While others may advocate resorting to mechanisms that circumvent the political system or transcend the constitution in order to further their political goals, the President is bound by his office to uphold the Constitution. Defending the Constitutional system and maintaining the stability of the nation and society are duties that the President cannot shirk. They are also the strictest demands placed upon him by the people.
The people of Taiwan abhor corruption, and I myself have stood firm against corruption throughout my entire political career. When I served as Taipei City mayor, I was never soft on corruption, but dealt with such cases strictly and swiftly. Since becoming President, I have remained determined to do so. Anyone who transgresses the law, regardless of his or her social status or relationship with me, is subject to the strictest application of the nation's legal sanctions. For all people are equal before the law, and the President and the President's family members are no exceptions.
Corruption is a matter for the judiciary to deal with, and the judicial system places emphasis on evidence and due process. I am certain that the vast majority of the people, while adamant in demanding that corruption be curbed, do not endorse trials by public opinion based on tabloid reportage. Those who hold high expectations of anti-corruption efforts should place their confidence in the judicial system, trust the judicial system, and support the judicial system, allowing it the space to conduct investigations and trials independently. The judicial system is the final line of defense in protecting social fairness and justice. To lightly dismiss or be suspicious of the judiciary merely because its findings and verdicts do not turn out as one had hoped--this would be the greatest insult and injury to the democratic rule of law.
A motion to recall the President will soon be voted on in the Legislative Yuan--the third time such action has been taken since I took office as President. This is the latest episode in what has been a vicious rivalry between political parties ever since the alternation of political power between parties in 2000. Over the past six years, political chaos and turmoil have continued unabated. Besides indicating that the ruling and opposition parties have not grown accustomed to the reversal of roles, these ongoing problems reveal that Taiwan is facing predicaments similar to those faced by other new democracies during the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. These difficulties include the realization of transitional justice, vicious political rivalries, the choice between constitutional systems, and the clashing senses of national identity. These predicaments continually challenge and test the wisdom and ability of political leaders, while at the same time trying the people's faith in and commitment to freedom, democracy, fairness and justice, and human rights.
History shows that the injuries, rifts, confrontations, and suspicions caused by authoritarian rule will not automatically disappear with the passage of time. Like the newly matured butterfly that must struggle to break out of its cocoon, we must struggle to shake off longstanding fetters in order to free ourselves and emerge from our democratic metamorphosis.
As Taiwan marches toward becoming a normal democratic country, we cannot neglect or try to escape the need to re-evaluate our past history. Whether with respect to assigning responsibility for harm caused during the authoritarian era, continuing to dismantle the party-state system, enhancing the quality of the multiparty political system, or rehabilitating the legitimacy and reasonability of the constitutional system, our society needs to undertake deeper reflection on and assessment of these issues. By no means is this an attempt to settle old scores or stir up hatred. Only by bravely facing up to the past will we truly be able to soothe our injuries, bridge the rifts between us, and mark past episodes with a decisive period, so that we can begin to write a new chapter.
If we are to achieve reconciliation, forgiveness, and justice, the truth has to be told. That is why, over the past six years, the government has declassified and made public secret documents related to major political cases in Taiwan's history, such as the February 28 Incident, the Kaohsiung Incident, and the Lei Jhen case. In the past two months, at my instruction, the Ministry of National Defense has gone a step further, declassifying remaining documents of 73 files concerning prominent political cases, as well as 424 confidential dossiers of other cases, including those involving Chen Yi and Henry Liu. These documents are now placed in the care of the National Archives Administration, and will be made public once that agency has completed its collation work. These actions exemplify this government's commitment to and efforts in pursuing transitional justice.
The pursuit of truth is bound to have repercussions on the unity of a society. The handling the issue of divergent views of national identity may exacerbate inter-ethnic tensions, or even intensify the atmosphere of confrontation in the debate over unification versus independence. In a constitutional democracy, the room for a diversity of opinion and advocacy is fully guaranteed by the constitution. Nonetheless, when divisions over national identity begin to severely undermine efforts to strengthen national defense, bolster national security, develop the economy, and promote trade, it then becomes imperative to reflect very seriously on contradictions that exist between national identity and democratic values.
While divergent views of national identity can co-exist, the nation must not be allowed to break apart. Regardless of whether one arrived, or one's ancestors arrived, in Taiwan before or after 1949, and regardless of whether one is a recent immigrant or child of a recent immigrant, everyone who has come to this land to start a new life is a member of our big family, even though we may have differing ideals or sentiments for our original homelands. As the children of an oceanic nation, let us open our hearts to each other, put ourselves in each other's shoes and support each other. Let us transform identities based on ethnicity, bloodline, and historical sentiment into an identity based on the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and peace. And let us thereby mold a new sense of national community that can be shared by the 23 million people of Taiwan.
By the same token, while divergent views of national identity can co-exist, the government cannot be allowed to keep spinning its wheels and going nowhere. There is no cure-all to remedy the growing pains experienced by all emerging democracies, including Taiwan, and we are still in the process of learning as we go. Time will not stop its steady march for us, however. In the face of the increasingly fierce competition accompanying globalization, we cannot afford to let political turmoil continue to undermine our national competitiveness.
Democracy is Taiwan's defining value, and economic development is our lifeline. In July of this year, prior to the opening of the Executive Yuan's Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development, I identified four concrete benchmarks that can be used to evaluate the success of the government in facilitating the sustainable development of Taiwan's economy: increasing investment in Taiwan, creating job opportunities, lessening disparities between rural and urban areas, and narrowing gaps between the rich and the poor. Moreover, these four benchmarks, or principles of development, have been, and will continue to be, this government's core ideals and goals in drawing up administrative policies.
With regard to increasing investment in Taiwan, development of the Central Taiwan Science Park, from the commencement of planning to the launching of construction, was accomplished in just ten months and five days. Although the park has been under development for only three years, it is already home to 83 businesses, which have brought in investment worth some NT$1.6 trillion. The park provides 11,000 jobs and will create 50,000 in the future. It not only has enabled Taiwan to maintain its leading position in the global flat-panel industry, but has also breathed new life into the development of the entire central Taiwan region.
As for traditional industries, the "006688 Program", which offers land-leasing incentives in industrial zones, was introduced in 2001. As of the end of June this year, the government had approved the applications of 730 businesses, generating investment of NT$282.5 billion and a production value of NT$453.6 billion, while creating 51,000 new job opportunities. On this foundation, the Executive Yuan also formulated the so-called "Big Investment Plan", which includes a scheme aimed at helping county and city governments attract investment by granting lease exemptions to businesses renting government-owned land for the first four years and 50-percent exemptions for the following six years. Under the plan, the government will also make available 1,000 hectares of land belonging to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation for use by businesses and developers; will extend and expand the scope of Phase II of the "006688 Program"; will largely increase the Small and Medium Business Credit Guarantee Fund within three years; and will assist small and medium-sized enterprises in obtaining loans of over NT$1.6 trillion. These efforts will create a sound investment environment that helps keep businesses in Taiwan and stimulates national development as a whole.
As for creating employment opportunities, Taiwan's unemployment rate in August of this year was 4.09 percent, which was the lowest level for that month in the past six years. The average unemployment rate from January to August was 3.92 percent, still within the target range of less than 4 percent. Although the unemployment rate in August was only 0.2 percent lower than the same month last year, fluctuations in the labor market mean that, in reality, 198,000 more people were employed in August 2006 than in August 2005. Employment conditions will definitely see a significant improvement with the implementation of the "Big Investment Plan". Moreover, in coordination with planning to ensure the sustainable development of Taiwan's economy and related human-resource demands, the government will need to re-examine the status of technical and vocational education and increase investment in this sector of the education system in order to strengthen and refine the quality of teaching. This constitutes a critical aspect in the endeavor to achieve across-the-board improvement in the capabilities of Taiwan's workforce.
With regard to lessening the disparities between urban and rural areas, the newly opened Taipei-Yilan Expressway, and the High Speed Rail soon to begin operations, will transform the northeastern and western regions of the island into a unified living space in which people can commute anywhere within a day's time. This will bring about a revolution in spatial freedom and spur the development of new communities. It will also highlight the imperative to improve transportation in the areas of Hualien and Taitung counties in the east. It is incumbent upon the government to promote an express transportation system of highways and railways in eastern Taiwan, if environmental impact assessments reveal that we have no cause for concern and that the region's scenic beauty is not unduly affected by such development.
All citizens, especially our children--regardless of whether they live on Taiwan proper or its offshore islands, in special municipalities or other areas--should enjoy equality in terms of the quality of education, cultural activities, medical care, and public facilities available to them. We must bring to an end the longstanding and erroneous policy of "favoring the north, neglecting the south, forgetting the center, and ignoring the east." We must strive to achieve a balance in the revenues and expenditures of local governments, so that the nation's resources may be utilized more fairly and effectively.
As for narrowing income inequality, while it is inevitable that in a market economy some will lag behind others, it is the government's responsibility to exert itself to prevent individual misfortune from accumulating to the point of national catastrophe. Although Taiwan has become a genuinely free and democratic country, we have not done enough to utilize our collective strength to ensure that individuals can maintain a basic standard of living, to build a comprehensive social security system, and to provide adequate care for an aging population. We must do more to ensure that such obligations to promote human welfare are fulfilled. Concerning these deficiencies, the government has made great efforts over the past six years to establish a social security system. These include welfare allowances for the elderly, increased stipends for elderly farmers, partial or complete subsidization of medical treatment for children under the age of three, and the implementation of a new pension system for workers.
We have yet to introduce a national pension that will provide for those without any form of retirement protection when they reach old age, particularly for homemakers who devote their lives to caring for their families. Such a national pension will become the third pillar of Taiwan's social security system, the first two being the national health insurance program and workers' pension program. The importance of the national pension goes without saying. It is to be hoped, therefore, that, by 2007, the Executive Yuan will be able to surmount all difficulties in pushing through and implementing legislation in support of the consensuses relating to this national pension system that were reached during July's Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development--and simultaneously transform the existing labor insurance system's stipends for the elderly into a regular pension system.
As an oceanic island nation, Taiwan's potential for national development can be cultivated only through external economic and trade links and international cooperation. Sound self-defense capabilities, a stable international environment, and peace in the Taiwan Strait are the essential foundations on which Taiwan will be able to ensure its survival and steadily pursue its development.
There has been no large-scale military conflict in the Taiwan Strait for almost fifty years now. The all-important turning point was Taiwan's victory in the 1958 Battle of the Taiwan Strait, which allowed Taiwan to fend off danger, ensure peace, and lay the foundation for its future survival and development. We must never forget that bloody lesson: A robust national defense capability is our only shield and our only assurance of securing lasting peace.
Until this very day, however, China has never renounced its objective of annexing Taiwan by force. In recent years, it has ceaselessly deployed ballistic missiles along its southeast coast targeted at Taiwan. There are more than 800 such missiles at present, which is four times the number in 2000. China also continues to augment training and preparations to launch a war against Taiwan, scheming to utilize military intimidation and threats to achieve its goal of forcing Taiwan to surrender without having to fire a shot.
Here, once again, I earnestly call upon the opposition parties to expedite and complete their reviews of all major military procurement bills so that the nation's armed forces can finish upgrading their armaments and enhance their combat preparedness as soon as possible. Moreover, only by doing so will we have the substantive power and bargaining chips needed to engage in consultations and dialogues with China. Our investment in national defense is intended neither to spark an arms race with China nor to aggravate cross-strait tensions. Rather, it is an investment in peace, security, and stability. Only by possessing a strong self-defense capability can the outbreak of war effectively be prevented, and lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait be achieved.
In recent years, China has continually resorted to dollar diplomacy and money politics to squeeze and limit Taiwan's international space. In face of this new challenge and condition, Taiwan is not willing, nor has it the need, to engage in a foreign aid contest. We need new ideas and approaches, and must make democracy, human rights, and humanitarian concerns as the basis of our future diplomatic efforts. In addition to consolidating our diplomatic allies, we should take further steps to establish a values-based alliance with the global community of democracies. Further, we should utilize multilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as summits with the leaders of our diplomatic allies in Latin America, Oceania, and Africa, as well as through the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU) to deepen Taiwan's bilateral relations with each of its allies. Programs designed to promote mutually profitable trade and enhance humanitarian assistance can also help us succeed in creating reciprocal regional advantages and shared prosperity. Thereby, Taiwan will be able to play a more positive, constructive role in the international community, and to open up new diplomatic vistas more energetically.
As to the development of cross-strait relations, this surely cannot be confined to the mere interactions within the narrow framework of Taiwan-China relations. We must broaden our scope of action and expand our field of vision to the comprehensive level of the evolution of international political and economic dynamics.
Following upon the success of its policy of economic reform and opening up to the outside world, China's overall national power, especially its military power, has grown rapidly, giving rise to widespread misgivings in the international community. Although Beijing has repeatedly claimed that this process is a "peaceful emergence," most nations of the world perceive it as a threat.
Without democracy, there is hardly any prospect of peace. China is a totalitarian state that persists in its hostility toward freedom, democracy, and human rights. As long as China fails to democratize, the basic nature of this threat will never change, and relations between China and the world, including Taiwan, cannot possibly be normalized.
No matter how lively the economic and trade relations and the movements of peoples are between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, as long as China continues to be ruled by a one-party dictatorship, the obstacles and barriers standing between the two sides can never be eliminated, and it will be extremely difficult to achieve any genuine, significant breakthrough in the basic nature of cross-Strait relations. Constructing a meaningful, substantive relationship will be possible only if China's leaders adopt the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and peace to create a language shared by both sides of the Strait and, based on this language, cooperate in developing a framework of interactions for peace and stability.
My dear fellow citizens:
Lately, we have been paying a great deal of attention to the performances of Taiwan's baseball players Wang Chien-ming and Kuo Hong-chih in the U.S. Major Leagues. The joy and pride that comes from watching the outstanding performances of these "sons of Taiwan" are beyond the power of words to express. Every step of the way in a ball player's career--moving up from the minor leagues to the major leagues and going on to become a pitching champion--represents the honing of ball-playing skills that take him to a higher plane of performance. At the same time, however, each step implies taking on an even tougher, more acute challenge.
Hasn't this been the story of Taiwan's development during the past half-century? Its movement from authoritarianism to democracy, and its upstream struggle to transform itself from an insular, withdrawn "orphan of Asia" into an outward-looking "world island" that has turned its vision to the ocean and the world beyond--these developments likewise were self-tempering, self-improving processes. Today, similarly, we must prepare ourselves to meet even more demanding challenges.
From the examples of Wang Chien-ming and Kuo Hong-chih, we can see that success does not come by chance. The difficulties and miseries they have suffered remain in the background, unseen by others. This is especially true of the times when they were injured, underwent surgery, and endured a long period of rehabilitation. Such struggles have made their ensuing success all the more precious.
Similarly, the democracy that Taiwan enjoys today was hard-won by dint of the blood, sweat, and tears of preceding and present generations. It is so very precious! Aware of the injuries and defeats we have suffered on the road to democracy, mindful of how heart-rending they were--we must cherish everything we have today with the desire to protect it as we would a fragile object. We must do our utmost to protect Taiwan and safeguard our democracy, freedom, peace, and prosperity. Under no circumstance can we allow it to suffer any harm.
Every hand that I have shaken over the course of my political career has been a source of wisdom and strength for me. Every cry of "Go, Taiwan!" and "Stand up, Taiwan!" has been the greatest motivator for me to forge ahead. How fortunate it was for this child of a tenant farmer in the Tainan countryside to become the first president following Taiwan's first-ever transfer of power between political parties. Four years later, the great people of Taiwan gave me another chance to lead them toward the promised land. I am willing to dedicate my life to bearing the cross for Taiwan. No matter how much more the pain, how difficult the tests, and how formidable the trials are, I am willing to shoulder this responsibility. May Heaven give us the wisdom and strength to fulfill this great historic mission.
At this moment, the people of Taiwan need to feel safe and secure, the society needs stability, and the governing and opposition parties need to cooperate with each other, so that our country can have hope and Taiwan can have a future. I sincerely call on all our fellow citizens to put aside partisan differences, join hands for the sake of our country, work hard for our people, rise above color-coded confrontation, and revive social harmony and warmth. Let us enable Taiwan to shine forth a rainbow splendor and create a new Taiwan miracle.
In closing, let me wish the Republic of China (Taiwan) a happy birthday. May our great nation enjoy peace and everlasting prosperity. To all of our distinguished guests, fellow citizens, and colleagues, may you enjoy good health and success in all of your endeavors. And may God bless Taiwan!
Thank you!