December 3, 2021
no. 260
The 2021 Open Parliament Forum, coorganized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Legislative Yuan, the US National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, drew to a successful close on December 3 with fruitful results, including the signing of a joint statement. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu and Legislative Yuan Secretary General Lin Chih-chia attended the closing ceremony and delivered remarks.
In his remarks, Minister Wu said that the Taiwanese people would never abandon democracy and would persevere even if threatened by the grave challenge of authoritarianism. Noting that authoritarianism attempts to crush Taiwan’s democracy through military coercion and hybrid warfare, and tries to take advantage of the openness and transparency of Taiwan’s democratic system to infiltrate and manipulate its society, Minister Wu stressed that Taiwan would never give in to authoritarianism and that democracy would prevail in the end. He added that Taiwan is not alone and that more democracies are supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and the maintenance of peace and stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In closing, Minister Wu said that the 2021 Open Parliament Forum marked a new beginning for democracies to work together as one and that Taiwan is a good friend and reliable partner to the global community of democracies.
In his remarks, Secretary General Lin said that going forward, the Legislative Yuan would continue to promote activities and workshops relating to open parliament and parliamentary literacy. He said the Legislative Yuan would work hand in hand with civil society, deepening exchanges and dialogue as equal partners so that the lawmaking process can better meet people’s actual needs.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, the country’s national parliament, shared Lithuania’s experience of open parliament in a keynote speech on December 3 during the forum’s lunchtime session, which was hosted by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien, Chung-kwang. Emphasizing that the Seimas is one of the world’s most open national parliaments, Speaker Čmilytė-Nielsen said Lithuania believes that only civic participation can ensure the transparency of legislation and increase people’s trust in decision-making processes.
Before the conclusion of the forum, a joint statement was signed by Legislator Lim Tshiong-tso, Taiwan’s parliamentary point of contact for open parliament; members of parliament from a number of nations; and representatives from the NDI and other civic organizations. The statement referred to strengthening the functions of national parliaments in the face of such challenges as government information transparency, civic space, and the response to and recovery from COVID-19; to raising awareness of the suppression of minorities at an international and regional level; and to strengthening democratic systems, building connections between legislatures across the region and world, and jointly promoting democracy-strengthening initiatives. The statement also included a commitment to ensuring the participation of all parties in furthering open parliament work.
Among those participating, either in person or by videoconference, in the 2021 Open Parliament Forum were the parliamentary speakers of Taiwan, Belize, the United States, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania as well as a former parliamentary speaker from the United Kingdom. Their involvement in this successful event demonstrated the importance they attach to open parliament as well as their support for Taiwan’s work to promote the strengthening of democracy. (E)