Dear President Ni, members of the Legislative Yuan, and distinguished guests:
I am very honored to be here today, in the Republic of China, to participate in this grand occasion in response to the invitation Mr. Cheng-kang Ku extended to our country on his latest visit to El Salvador where he met with our congressmen.
Upon arriving at your great nation, I was warmly welcomed by your government and by your wonderful people. I have been able to witness your nation’s extraordinary potential for development, prosperity and welfare, all of which have left a deep and beautiful impression on me. I am so moved that I want to use the most sincere and expressive words from the bottom of my heart to describe this exemplary and marvelous visit. Perhaps I will describe through poetry or prose how a nation with ideals, freedom, economic and social development can courageously face and overcome adversity without forsaking its long history, and how you put your thoughts and hopes into actions to fulfill your historical mission.
I come from the smallest country in the American continent in terms of land, and from the young cultures in Central America, which rose from the ashes after being ravaged by the Spanish conquest and immigration.
My ancestors, that is, the ancestors of the Salvadorian people, lived in a place where the Pipil tribe settled for generations. The Pipil tribe are descendants of the Mexican tribes that flourished in America and other pre-Colombian societies.
My home was colonized for more than three centuries. We were only able to achieve independence through an arduous and continuous struggle. Now, we are sparing no efforts to reestablish our national dignity, ensure our freedom, and develop our economy and democracy.
Therefore, having the opportunity to meet members of your government and the public has left a deep impression in me. On behalf of the National Assembly of El Salvador and our people, I sincerely wish to express my gratitude to your great nation’s representatives from different organizations, National Assembly, Legislative Yuan and Control Yuan. I would like to say that I am in awe of your hospitality and of the opportunity to greet you personally and give a speech. On behalf of El Salvador’s National Assembly, our people, and myself, I humbly accept this greatest of honors. I believe it reflects the harmonious relations between our two nations and between our two congresses.
Please allow me to make a special note. That is, I believe that there are certain natural facts in our world that promote better relations between the people of two nations. To say that these facts can have a stronger influence in some nations or people than in others would not be an overstatement. I firmly believe that this is the very bedrock in which the friendship between our two countries is built. We have seen the political and ideological pressures your country has faced with having a population of more than 15 million people living on 35,962 square kilometers of land, while at the same time exhibiting great moral strength, institutional organization and high intelligence. El Salvador, a country of nearly four million people living in 20,000 square kilometers, whose people believed they had overcome all disadvantages and limitations, cannot but admire and praise your development and carefully study the examples set by your people. Such an objectively excellent example is enough to ignite a sense of nationality in my government and people which has reinvigorated our commitment to national security and public welfare. We are natural allies because we are so alike in natural and extra-natural factors.
Within this limited scope, the legislature should undertake special social and political tasks. Undoubtedly, the responsibilities of the people's representatives in this era are much broader than in the past. Nowadays, the Senate, Congress, and legislature are not only making laws for the current issues, they must go beyond that, and formulate plans for future issues. Not only that, today’s legislature is also a political resonance box: the center of ideological, political, social, and trade union appeals. Therefore, its responsibilities are more complicated and diverse, and it is more involved in many non-legislative activities. It even extends to international relations, allowing it to fulfill its promises in a more comprehensive way.
Today’s societies are arguing, to different extents, the issue of “change.” The radicals who advocate for it attempt to destabilize the democratic system by attacking its prestige and undermining its various institutions with theories and ideas. They are making progress, and are gradually converging to form a current of chaos and anarchy. We would like to remind those who advocate for change that, in the history of mankind, the ideas of change and transformation have never been absent. The only difference between the concept of change before and now is the difference in the embellishment of the ideology and vocabulary, and that it seems that there is more interest in creating conflict than achieving public welfare.
This situation has caused many major problems in terms of the ideological balance of human kind, one of which is a serious threat for democratic, free, and organized societies, since they must make a fundamental choice. There are two roads to achieve this kind of ideological change, one is to sacrifice the freedom, rights, and traditions of a nation to complete its transformation; the other is to restructure itself in an orderly and safe way without the influence of authoritarianism and deprivation.
Under these circumstances, we must highlight the importance of legislative institutions. Therefore, this must be an ongoing and debated process that is approved by the legislative institutions, systematic and with a democratic spirit. Legislation is a system to alleviate conflicts and to use these conflicts as an opportunity to realize the wishes of the people in an orderly manner and ensure the continuation of democracy.
Under the current circumstances of the world, I hope that the sincere friendship between the Republic of China and El Salvador will become stronger than ever. Our friendship has been growing every day since Dr. Ku visited our country. I hereby would like to emphasize that the amicable relationship between our two legislative institutions and nations has entered a new level.
Dear President of the Legislative Yuan, fellow legislators, our executive capacity has passed the test of time and has a long tradition. Our friendship has reached the top level. In international matters, our two countries have constantly communicated through diplomatic representatives because we both pursue the well-being of our people and social stability. This common goal has strengthened the relationship between our two nations.
There is something that has deeply moved me. I have discovered that our two countries share something in common, and that is the goals and aspirations of the ruling party in El Salvador under my leadership are in line with those of Sun Yat-sen, the father of your country. We also advocate for democracy, work for our people’s prosperity and fight for democracy.
Dear President and members of the Legislative Yuan, I hereby wish you all the best of health. I would like to convey my sincere greetings to President Chiang of the Republic of China, to your government institutions and to your brave people. The people of El Salvador have the utmost respect for your people because you have created a model which has become the foundation for morality in the world. At the same time, I am very happy to be here today, on this rare opportunity, to further cement our friendship, so that in the future we can continue to learn from you. We know that everyone in the Legislative Yuan has a rich experience and deserves all of our respect. I believe that we can follow your example to achieve prosperity for the people of El Salvador. Thank you very much!
