[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23760-23761]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  ON THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DEMOCRACY AND CONGRESS IN TAIPEI, 
                                 TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, on December 8 
and 9 in Taiwan, there will be an important gathering of legislators 
from Pacific Rim nations to discuss the role of congresses or 
legislatures in the growing number of democracies developing across 
Asia.
  The meeting has been convened by the Pacific Congressional Caucus, an 
arm of the Democratic Pacific Union, DPU, a regional organization of 
Pacific Rim democracies.
  Legislative leaders from 20 nations, including Canada, Australia, New 
Zealand, Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the 
Philippines, and the host Taiwan are expected to participate. It is 
unfortunate that, because of our legislative schedule, no member of 
this House or of the other body are able to attend.
  However, Mr. Speaker, I did want to take note of this important 
meeting that will focus on the role of Congress in the various 
democratic governing models, such as the parliamentary system and the 
presidential system. Another important set of discussions will focus on 
the issue of legislative elections in various democracies, how they are 
conducted, and how they are financed.
  I congratulate Taiwan's political leaders who were instrumental in 
creating the DPU and the Pacific Congressional Caucus. Taiwan's Vice 
President Annette Lu was the prime mover in bringing the DPU into 
existence and the Speaker of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, Wang

[[Page 23761]]

Jin-Pyng, was instrumental in establishing the Pacific Congressional 
Caucus and in organizing such meetings as the one this weekend.
  This effort in Taiwan has been truly bipartisan, with Vice President 
Lu a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and Speaker 
Wang a key leader of the Nationalist Party, known as the KMT.
  Because Taiwan is one of Asia's most dynamic democracies, it is 
fitting that Taiwan has been instrumental in forming the DPU and the 
Caucus and in organizing this symposium. I congratulate Taiwan and wish 
all the participants a rewarding series of meetings.

                          ____________________