President You attends the opening ceremony of the

2021 Open Parliament Forum

Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun: A better world is a world where more people have freedom and democracy!

President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Ching-te Lai attended the opening ceremony of the 2021 Open Parliament Forum at the Sheraton Taipei Hotel today. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Speaker of the British House of Commons Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle, and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also delivered congratulatory speeches via video in which they wished the event a successful outcome.

In his remarks, President You said that holding the forum despite the pandemic is a testament to Taiwan‘s determination to pursue freedom and democracy and an open parliament. He went on to say that 36 foreign dignitaries were participating in the forum, including 26 speakers and members of parliament from 20 countries. Of these, 12 were attending in person and 14 virtually. They were joined by 10 foreign professionals and scholars. In addition to legislators from Taiwan’s four major political parties, there were also 23 representatives from businesses and civic groups, for a total of 100 participants. This made it the most well-attended open parliament meeting in Asia.  

President You said that Taiwan is the first country in Asia to host the Open Parliament Forum that is not a member of the Open Government Partnership. In addition, next week, he said, Taiwan will participate in the first online Summit for Democracy hosted by the US, along with leaders from 110 other countries, as a non-United Nations member. This shows that Taiwan‘s democratic openness is widely recognized internationally. It is also a great honor for the people of Taiwan.

President You then spoke about the world‘s democratic landscape, saying that Taiwan is facing the same threat of authoritarian regimes as other countries. He cited the Freedom in the World 2021 report by Freedom House, which compared 195 countries around the world. In 2020, 49 countries were rated “not free,” the largest number in 15 years. People living in “free” nations now account for less than one-fifth of the world‘s population. The report shows that the global democratic landscape is shrinking, and that recovering lost ground is a common issue democratic nations must address.

President You also thanked the private sector for participating, and the Open Parliament Committee‘s civic partners for launching the Open Parliament Action Plan and making this forum possible. The people are the purpose of the country. Taiwan is a society based on the rule of law. When the parliament is open and transparent, citizens can have easy access to information, and therefore more opportunities to determine their future by participating in the lawmaking process.

President You also said that the freedom and democracy that Taiwan enjoys today, like many other countries, came via oppression and crackdowns, and was irrigated by the blood and tears of our forebears over the past century. We cherish the values of freedom and democracy because we know that they were hard-earned. In the future, we will do our best to help people under authoritarian regimes gain freedom, because we believe that a better world must be one in which more people enjoy freedom and democracy.

After President You‘s speech, National Development Institute President Derek Mitchell and Vice President Lai delivered their welcome speeches, followed by congratulatory messages from former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Speaker of the British House of Commons Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle, and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Speaker Valerie Woods of the Belizean House of Representatives then delivered her remarks as the forum officially began.