A Bold Prediction
FRANCIS ‘KIKO’ PANGILINANdemocracy stands on solid ground. That is why we from Southeast Asia consider Taiwan as a democratic role model. And we think the People’s Republic of China should do so, too.
For this event, we have chosen the theme ‘The Future of Democracy in Asia.’ More specifcally, we wanted to address the question: “How can we ensure that the future of Asia is free and democratic?”
This question grew out of the recognition that the world today is becoming less free and democratic. According to Freedom House’s latest Freedom in the World Report, 2023 is the 17 th consecutive year that global freedom and democratic governance have been suffering an overall decline.
Ladies and gentlemen, Asia is also refecting this global trend of democratic decline. Actually, in certain subregions of the continent, the breadth and depth of democratic regression have been much worse compared to the global average.
and the poor, without doubt, fuel the rise or strengthening of autocrats, populists, and illiberals.
Take the case of the country where I came from - the Philippines. We used to be the bastion of democracy and freedom in Southeast and East Asia, having ushered in the third wave of democratization in the subregion through our People Power Revolution in 1986. That bloodless revolution toppled the 20-year Marcos dictatorship and reinstated our democracy.
“We wanted to address the question: ‘How can we ensure that the future of Asia is free and democratic?’ ”
Our restored democracy, however, seems to have failed in delivering the systemic reforms necessary to make democracy meaningful. For this reason, the Marcoses are back in power in the Philippines, following the populist-authoritarian regime of Rodrigo Duterte.
In this part of the world, democratic recession has also been accompanied by widening inequalities between and within countries. This potent combination of democratic decline and growing gap between the rich
While the Philippines is regressing, our neighbor in the north – Taiwan – appears to be on track in consolidating and fortifying its democracy. There remains to be issues and problems, of course, but as a whole, Taiwan’s
My dear friends, earlier this year China sanctioned us in CALD for supposedly “promoting Taiwan independence under the guise of academic and research exchanges.” Today we stand here with you, fellow defenders of freedom and democracy, to tell all the autocrats, populists, and illiberals of the world:
That we will not cower in the face of authoritarianism;
That we will fght for our democratic principles and values; and
That we will win in the end.
With our passion and commitment, I have no doubt that the future of Asia will be free and democratic.
ald hairperson
hairperson, li eral party of the philippines former philippine senator