[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 6, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18103-S18104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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              THE GROWING STRENGTH OF DEMOCRACY IN TAIWAN

 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, last Saturday we saw once again 
proof that democracy is alive and well in Taiwan. In free and fair 
parliamentary elections contested by three leading parties, and with 
several independent candidates, with some 67 percent participation, and 
with no unrest or contesting of the results, the people of Taiwan chose 
their own legislative representatives. By that act, those people once 
again proved that Taiwan is becoming a mature, democratic state worthy 
of our admiration.
  Let me review here the results of the election. The Kuominatang [KMT] 
or National Party, which has been ruling Taiwan for many years, won a 
narrow majority of seats, 85 out of a total of 164, and saw their 
numbers reduced from 90. The Democratic Progressive Party [DPP], which 
has been the major opposition group for several years, and which 
advocates moving toward independence, increased its seats from 50 to 54 
seats. The New Party [NP], which advocates a policy of reunification 
with China, was probably the biggest winner in the polls, increasing 
its seats 

[[Page S 18104]]
from 7 to 21. Finally, a total of four independents won seats in the 
new legislature.
  As is usual following any election, the media pundits are busy 
analyzing the results and the trends they may or may not indicate. Some 
papers are saying that the reduction in the KMT's seats and the 
increase by the NP were the result, in part, of China's attempts to 
intimidate the Taiwanese over the last few months by testing missiles 
near Taiwan's shores and making bellicose threats against any attempt 
to move toward independence. Given what I know about the Taiwanese 
people, who can be very defiant when challenged, I wonder if this is an 
accurate analysis. And I certainly hope that the Chinese Government 
doesn't believe that its tactics of intimidation are going to work.
  But no matter what the reason for the result, I think the important 
point that should be emphasized, as Keith Richburg did in the 
Washington Post, is that, ``Perhaps most remarkable about the elections 
was that they took place at all. Just 8 years ago, Taiwan was still 
under martial law. But in 1988 President Lee Teng-Hui launched his 
quiet revolution to shift Taiwan toward multiparty democracy. Taiwan 
has emerged as one of Asia's liveliest democracies and the world's 
freest and most democratic Chinese society.''
  I'm sure that every analyst will agree with that statement.
  So where are we now, Mr. President? In my view, as a result of the 
election, the KMT will have to take the steps that any Democratic Party 
would have to take to ensure passage of its program. There will likely 
be increased maneuvering on votes among the parties as alliances are 
formed, issue-by-issue, among the three parties. In short, the 
legislature will have to take into account the will of the people and 
their elected representatives--a situation which may cause some 
inefficiencies in the short term, but which will only strengthen Taiwan 
in the long term as democracy takes firmer hold in that society.
  Mr. President, as you know, the next and equally important step in 
making Taiwan a fully democratized state is a free and fair, 
multicandidate presidential election. That will take place next march, 
and it, like the legislative campaign, promises to be very lively.
  While President Lee Teng-Hui of the KMT party is favored to win the 
election at the moment, I'm sure that he and the other candidates will 
be campaigning very hard over the next month to seek the people's 
mandate. And that too is a very important matter to keep in mind.
  No matter who wins the presidential election, the Taiwanese people 
will be able to say, next March, that their freely elected President 
and their freely elected legislature will, for the very first time, 
have a full and complete mandate.
  That in turn will allow the elected leaders to feel confident that 
the people are behind them as they deal with Taiwan's future and, most 
important, as they determine their relationship with the People's 
Republic of China.
  Then, and presuming that soon the power struggle in the PRC will be 
over, it is my hope that both sides will return to a period of reduced 
tensions and renewed contacts, both economic and political.
  In the meantime, it is important for us to take note of positive 
steps like the Taiwan parliamentary elections which advance the 
democratization of the world. The people of Taiwan deserve not only our 
congratulations but also our support as they and their representatives 
map out their destiny in what we hope will be, in the future, a less 
volatile and a more peaceful region.

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