“Pacific Congressional Caucus:
The Voice and Conscience of the Pacific”
Keynote Speech by H.E. Lu Hsiu-lien A.
Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and
the Chair of the Democratic Pacific Union
December 9, 2006
Your Excellency President Chen, Your Excellency Vice President Santos of Honduras, Legislative Yuan President Wang of Taiwan, Parliament Speaker Latasi of Tuvalu, Legislative Assembly Vice President Machuca of El Salvador, esteem congressional members from around the Pacific region, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
Greetings and welcome to Taipei. Today, around 100 congressional members from 30 countries in the Pacific region are here to attend the International Symposium on Congress and Democracy and to inaugurate the Pacific Congressional Caucus. I wish to especially thank President Chen and Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng for their support and dedication for this symposium. All of us expect that this symposium will forge new friendships among congressional members and help to consolidate democracy around the Pacific community.
The Pacific Congressional Caucus is an organization under the Democratic Pacific Union, founded in August of last year to promote democracy, peace and prosperity in the Pacific region. In addition to congressional members from DPU member countries, we also have 5 congressional members from Europe and Africa joining us as observers at this symposium.
Congress is the foundation of a representative democracy. In an age of globalization and regional integration, traditional roles of Congress are not just limited to representing local interests and domestic issues; rather, it is playing an increasing role in global affairs. In the past decade, we have seen the development of a variety of international and regional legislative organizations. Notable ones include the International Parliamentary Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the EU Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the American Parliament and the Central American Parliament. The development of these organizations is a reflection of the need for congressional members from different countries to work with one another as the world becomes smaller and closer. Once established, the Pacific Congressional Caucus will rank third in terms of countries represented among these inter-parliamentary organizations.
The PCC's operation will be shared by countries in 4 different regions: North America, Latin America, the Pacific, and Asia. PCC members can also join 5 different issue-based working committees, including: (1) Democracy and Human Rights; (2) Regional Security; (3) Industrial and Economic Development; (4) Technology and Environment; and (5) Human and Social Affairs.
While preparing for the PCC, the preparatory committee has planned several projects, including:
1. training programs for legislative assistants;
2. research projects on democratic consolidation and congressional reform;
3. a PCC website;
4. an e-Congress project;
5. a project to promote women's participation in the congress;
6. exchange programs for PCC members; and
7. election observation tours.
In the working meeting this afternoon, I hope that our PCC members can further discuss and collaborate on these projects.
Democracy is a universal and fundamental value in the 21st century, and democracy must be the foundation of the PCC. Globalization in the 21st century has not only increased the flow of goods, money and people, it has also increased the flow of ideas. Global economic integration provides large countries even greater economic leverage and advantages, while regional integration gives regional power greater political dominance and influence over its neighbors.
While we see democratic values taking roots in many former authoritarian countries, we also see new challenges to the consolidation of democracy. Criticism of inefficiency and allegation of corruption can often hamper and cripple a new government's effort for democratic reform. Resistance against democratic reform remains strong in many newly democratized countries, especially by the remnants of old authoritarian regimes. Despite these challenges, the ideal and value of democracy will triumph in the end, but only if we make the conscious effort to consolidate it.
The people of Taiwan achieved what many thought to be impossible in 2000 when they elected a human rights attorney and a prisoner of conscience to replace the 50-year-old regime that put them in jail earlier. Taiwan's democratic miracle is won through the sacrifices of many democracy activists and freedom fighters, but it is also a result of direct and indirect assistance of developed democracies. International focus and pressures can certainly help domestic grass-root democracy activists gain grounds against repressive regimes. But more importantly, the experience and knowledge of developed democracies can help ease the transitional instability of new democracies.
In a new democracy, the congress plays an ever more important roles, as it is not only the voice of the people, but is also institution that passes legislations and policies. Mass demonstrations and street protests may democratize a country, but political wisdom and vision in the congress are needed to make the necessary system reforms that can consolidate democracy.
As representatives of the people, one of the responsibilities of congressional members is to initiate and pass well-reasoned and sound legislations and policies. Especially in newly democratized countries, legal reform is needed to replace the institutions designed for an authoritarian regime with ones that will strengthen democracy. This is where I see the PCC playing an important role. Panels in this symposium cover the function of the congress under different political systems as well as different electoral systems. The diversity of congressional members here allows our participants to learn about the different systems, to hear fresh perspectives and to share practical solutions.
I have served as Taiwan's legislator for only three years, but I learned during my brief tenure that a congress is not only the voice of the people, but it should also be the conscience of the people. The congress watches over executive departments and ministries under the principle of separation of power. More than overseeing the executive branch, the congress also passes and watches over the budget of the entire government. How it spends the taxpayers' money is a clear indication of a nation's priorities and values. The congress can decide rather a country should spend a large portion of its budget on its military capability or on eliminating poverty and providing aids to other less fortunate countries.
I agree with Martin Luther King Jr. that "peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice." Raw military strength and the threat of retaliatory attack may temporarily preserve peace, but only through democracy can we ensure development of legitimate institutions that resolve conflicts without resorting to arm conflicts. In an age of unconventional warfare, to sustain peace requires more than strong hard power; rather, it requires the wisdom to use and to increase the soft power of a country.
The heightened importance of the Pacific region makes the stability of Asia-Pacific region a timely topic. With security issues in the Korean Peninsula and across Taiwan Strait becoming the focal points of the world leaders, we have set aside tomorrow morning for a round table discussion on "Asia-Pacific Security and the Pacific Congressional Caucus." I believe that the PCC, through its operations, can help ensure a lasting peace in our region by building upon the shared foundation of democracy.
The Pacific Congressional Caucus is not just a forum for its members; it should be the voice and the conscience of the people of the Pacific. Let us work together for the hope and wishes of the Pacific people to develop a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Pacific!
Thank you.