【英漢文声明】Overseas Taiwanese organizations express concern about backsliding of democracy in Taiwan

Overseas Taiwanese organizations express concern about backsliding of democracy in Taiwan

(Washington, D.C. – November 8th 2013) — Today, a coalition of overseas Taiwanese organizations issued a joint statement, expressing concern about the erosion of democracy and freedoms in Taiwan due to the pro-China policies of the current Kuomintang administration of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taiwan.

The statement is endorsed by 49 overseas Taiwanese organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Japan. The organizations emphasize that their roots are in Taiwan, “the land of our birth”, and that they feel strongly about Taiwan, as many of them “worked hard to help Taiwan make the transition to democracy in the 1980s and 1990s. “

The organizations state that the pro-China policies the current administration of President Ma Ying-jeou “…may on the surface appear to bring about a reduction of tension, but in reality they are setting Taiwan up for a larger conflict when China’s repressive designs for ‘unification’ collide with the reality of Taiwan’s democracy.”

The organizations also state that they “…are particularly incensed about recent moves by the Ma government that show a distinct lack of respect for democracy, and a fundamental breach of the basic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in a democracy.”

The organizations state that the recent actions of President Ma and his administration in attempting to remove Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng clearly violate the basic principles enshrined in the current (ROC) Constitution in Taiwan.

The organizations add that the extensive abuse of power and the rampant wiretapping by the Special Investigation Division of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office also constitute a violation of the Constitution, in particular Article 12, which guarantees the individual’s freedom of privacy of correspondence.

The organizations urge President Ma to listen to the Taiwanese people, “and to move towards policies and decisions that reflect the views of ordinary people, the men and women in the street.”

They conclude with three specific recommendations:

1. An end to the extraordinary powers vested in the Special Investigation Division of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The Legislative Yuan should immediately pass legislation abolishing the SID,

2. Taiwan needs judicial reform, completely removing political influence from the judiciary. The judicial branch needs to be completely independent from both the executive and legislative branch of government, so Taiwan can enjoy clear separation of powers, and

3. Taiwan needs legislative reform so that legislators can truly represent their constituencies, and the legislature becomes an effective and efficient part of the system of governance. The legislative process needs to become a true give-and-take of political negotiations; all political opinions are shown respect and decisions are made on the basis of rational discussion.

海外台湾人団体表達対台湾民主倒退的憂心

49個海外台湾人団体於今天発表聯合声明，表達其対馬政府傾中政策所造成台湾的民主及自由倒退的憂心。

簽署此声明的四十九個団体遍佈於美国、加拿大、欧洲、拉丁美洲，以及日本。這份声明強調海外台湾人的根在「我們所生長的土地」―台湾，並重申対台湾仍有強烈的感情，因為「我們之中許多人於八○与九○年代，均曽為台湾的民主的進程努力過」

此份声明中並指出，馬政府的傾中政策「雖然表面上這些政策有助於緩和緊張的両岸情勢，但実際上在中方高圧的統一方針与台湾民主現実交鋒之下，僅会促成更激烈的衝突。」

声明中並針対「馬政府不尊重民主社会，行政立法司法権的分立，与制衡等等民主政治基本原則」表示憤怒。

声明中特別提到近日馬政権企図逼退立法院長王金平的舉動，已経明顕地違反了台湾政府（中華民国）憲法中所訂立的基礎原則。声明中並強調隷属於最高法院検察署的特偵組的濫権訴訟及違法監聴等行為也違反了憲法第十二条：人民有秘密通訊自由。

該声明呼籲馬総統傾聴台湾人民的声音「並且応進一步制定政策反映街頭上一般人民的観感。」

声明中所結論的三項建議為：

1. 終止最高法院検察署特偵組所用有的非常権力，立法院応立即立法廃除特偵組。

2. 台湾需要進行司法改革，以杜絕政治対司法的影響。司法機関須独立於行政与立法機関之外，唯有如此台湾才能真正享有三権分立。

3. 台湾的立法部門需要進行改革，以真切的反映民意，並成為効率及効用兼具之政府的一環。立法程序必須是一套真正能彼此互恵的政治体制。

Overseas Taiwanese organizations concerned about backsliding of democracy in Taiwan

The undersigned overseas Taiwanese organizations hereby express our deep concern about recent developments in Taiwan. First, we wish to emphasize our roots in Taiwan, the land of our birth. We do live in Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America and the United States, but we feel strongly about our homeland. Many of us worked hard to help Taiwan make the transition to democracy in the 1980s and 1990s.

Especially since Taiwan made such major progress towards a fully democratic system during the past 25 years, it is regrettable that the current administration of President Ma Ying-jeou has eroded Taiwan’s democracy and freedoms with his pro-China policies. On the surface these policies may appear to bring about a reduction of tension, but in reality they are setting Taiwan up for a larger conflict when China’s repressive designs for “unification” collide with the reality of Taiwan’s democracy.

While this backsliding of freedom, democracy and human rights has been going on since the beginning of the Ma administration, we are particularly incensed about recent moves by the Ma government that show a distinct lack of respect for democracy, and a fundamental breach of the basic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in a democracy.

These basic principles are enshrined in the current (ROC) Constitution in Taiwan. While we strongly believe that the Constitution needs to be amended to reflect the new reality that Taiwan is now a free, democratic and independent country, it is essential that the government abides by the Constitution that is presently in force. The actions of President Ma and his administration in attempting to remove Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng clearly violated those principles.

In addition, the extensive abuse of power and the rampant wiretapping by the Special Investigation Division of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office also constitute a violation of the Constitution, in particular Article 12, which guarantees the individual’s freedom of privacy of correspondence.

It is time for the Ma government to listen to the Taiwanese people, and to move towards policies and decisions that reflect the views of ordinary people, the men and women in the street. In particular this means:

4. An end to the extraordinary powers vested in the Special Investigation Division of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The Legislative Yuan should immediately pass legislation abolishing the SID,

5. Taiwan needs judicial reform, completely removing political influence from the judiciary. The judicial branch needs to be completely independent from both the executive and legislative branch of government, so Taiwan can enjoy clear separation of powers, and

6. Taiwan needs legislative reform so that legislators can truly represent their constituencies, and the legislature becomes an effective and efficient part of the system of governance. The legislative process needs to become a true give-and-take of political negotiations; all political opinions are shown respect and decisions are made on the basis of rational discussion.

As overseas Taiwanese we also fully endorse the joint statement issued by the 29 international scholars and writers, who expressed their concerns in a statement titled “Human rights, democracy threatened”, published in the Taipei Times on October 14th 2013 and in Hanji in the Liberty Times on October 16th 2014.

Signatories:

United States
1. Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA)

2. Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation (CWCMF)

3. Formosan Association for Human Rights (FAHR)

4. Friends of Taiwan – Los Angeles, California

5. Institute for Taiwanese Studies (ITS) – Cerritos, California

6. North American Taiwanese Engineering and Science Association (NATEA)

7. North American Taiwanese Professors’ Association

8. North American Taiwanese Women’s Association

9. Southern California Taiwanese Club – Los Angeles, California

10. Taiwanese American Center of Northern California

11. Taiwanese Association of America (TAA)

12. Taiwanese Association of America, Chicago Chapter

13. Taiwanese Association of America, Cincinnati Chapter

14. Taiwanese Association of America, Columbus Chapter

15. Taiwanese Association of America, Greater Baltimore Chapter

16. Taiwanese Association of America, Greater Washington Chapter

17. Taiwanese Association of America, Northern New Jersey Chapter

18. Taiwanese Alliance of Interculture (TAI) – San Jose, California

19. Taiwanese Americans Perspectives (TAP) – Los Angeles, California

20. Taiwan Christian Church Council in North America (TCCCNA)

21. Taiwan Center – New York

22. Taiwan Culture Center – Greater Washington

23. Taiwan Hakka Association For Public Affairs In North America

24. World United Formosans for Independence United States

25. World Taiwanese Congress

Canada
26. Formosan Association for Public Affairs Canada

27. Greater Vancouver Taiwanese Senior Association

28. Society of Taiwanese Canadian History in British Columbia

29. Taiwanese Canadian Association

30. Taiwanese Canadian Association – Greater Vancouver Chapter

31. Taiwanese Canadian Association –Toronto Chapter

32. Taiwanese Canadian Church Association of Toronto

33. Taiwanese Canadian Heritage Association

34. Taiwanese Human Rights Association of Canada (THRAC)

35. Taiwanese Senior Association of Toronto

36. Taiwanese Women’s Association of Toronto

37. World Federation of Taiwanese Associations (WFTA)

38. World United Formosans for Independence Canada

Latin America
39. Taiwanese Association of Ecuador

Europe
40. European Federation of Taiwanese Associations — London, United Kingdom

41. European Federation of Taiwanese Women Associations, Hamburg, Germany

42. Formosan Association for Public Affairs United Kingdom

43. Taiwanese Association in the United Kingdom

44. Taiwanese Student Association in the United Kingdom

45. World United Formosans for Independence Europe

Japan
46. Japan Taiwanese Medical Union

47. Taiwanese Association in Japan

48. Taiwanese Women’s Association in Japan

49. World United Formosans for Independence Japan

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海外台湾人組織関切台湾民主的衰退

以下所簽属的海外台湾人組織在此対台湾近況的発展表達深切的関注。首先，我們希望先強調我們的歷史根源。雖然我們身居加拿大、欧洲、日本、拉丁美洲与美国，但我們対台湾這塊土地仍有懐有強烈的情感。我們之中許多人於八○与九○年代，均曽為台湾的民主的進程努力過。

台湾在過去二十五年来在邁向一個完全民主的体制上有了重大的進展，而也因此目前馬政府透過親中政策対民主与自由所造成的侵蝕，更特別令人感到遺憾。雖然表面上這些政策有助於緩和両岸的情勢，但実際上在中方高圧的統一方針与台湾民主現実交鋒之下，僅会促成更激烈的衝突。

雖然此一自由、民主与人権的衰退自馬政府取執政後便連綿不断，但我們対近些時日，馬政府所採取的行為，対民主社会，及権力分立与制約与平衡等民主政治中的基本原則，所展現出的不尊重，感到憤怒。

這些基本的原則在台湾，是受到目前(中華民国)憲法所保障的。雖然我們相信為了符合台湾作為一個自由民主的独立国家的現実，修憲是必要的，但政府須遵循目前所施行的憲法仍是不言可喻的。而馬総統及政府試図解除立法院長王金平職務的行為，很明顕的触犯了這些原則。

再者，最高法院検察署特偵組的濫権以及恣意監聴也透成了違憲，特別是憲法第十二条，即人民有秘密通訊之自由。

馬政府是時候該傾聴台湾人民的声音了，並且応進一步制定能夠反映街頭上一般人民観感的政見与決策，包含：

1. 終止最高法院検察署特偵組所用有的非常権力，立法院応立即通過並廃除特偵組。

2. 台湾需要進行司法改革，以杜絕政治対司法的影響。司法機関須独立於行政与立法機関之外，唯有如此台湾才能真正享有権力的分立。

3. 台湾的立法部門需要進行改革，以真切的反映民意，並成為効率及効用兼具之行政系統的一環。立法程序必須是一套真正能彼此互恵的政治磋商機制，尊重所有政見，並以理性討論的結果做為依帰。

而身為海外台湾人，我們也堅定的支持由二十九位国際学者及専家於十月十四日，以「台湾憲政危機聯合声明」之名発表於台北時報、自由時報等媒体的声明。

簽署団体：

美国
1. 台湾人公共事務会
2. 陳文成教授基金会
3. 全美台湾人権協会
4. 台湾之友会
5. 全美台湾研究院
6. 北美台湾工程師協会
7. 北美洲台湾人教授協会
8. 北美洲台湾婦女協会
9. 南加卅台湾会舘
10. 北加州台湾会館
11.全美台湾同鄉会
12.芝加哥台湾同鄉会
13.辛辛那提台湾同鄉会
14.哥倫布台湾同鄉会
15.巴爾地摩台湾同鄉会
16.大華府台湾同鄉会
17.北沢西台湾同鄉会
18.台湾協志会
19. Taiwanese Americans Perspectives
20.北美台湾人教会協会
21.紐約台湾会館
22.華府台湾文化中心
23. 北美台湾客家公共事務協会
24.台湾独立建国聯盟美国本部
25. 世界台湾人大会

加拿大
26. 加拿大台湾人公共事務会
27.松齢会
28. BC台裔歷史協会
29.加拿大台湾同鄉会
30.加拿大台湾同鄉会─大溫哥華
31.加拿大台湾同鄉会─多倫多
32.多倫多台湾基督教教会協会
33.台裔協会
34. 加拿大台湾人権協会
35. 多倫多台湾青籐会
36.多倫多台湾婦女会
37.世界台湾同鄉会聯合会
38.台湾独立建国聯盟加拿大本部

欧洲
39.欧洲台湾協会
40.欧洲台湾婦女会
41.台湾人公共事務会─英国
42.英国台湾協会
43. 英国台湾同学会
44.台湾独立建国聯盟─欧洲本部

日本
45. 日本台湾医師連合
46. 台湾同郷会
47. 在日台湾婦女会
48. 台湾独立建国聯盟日本本部

拉丁美洲
49. 厄瓜多爾台湾同鄉会

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