Democracy in the region is facing an unprecedented set of challenges.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/06/27
By: David Green
Democracy in East Asia is facing unprecedented challenges.
From “online martial law” aimed at critics of the government in the Philippines, to
Photo Credit: Huang Chien-hsien 黃謙賢/TFD
religious exclusivism in Indonesia and pro-China groups peppering Taiwanese social media with disinformation, democracy is under pressure across the region.
In a bid to address these challenges, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) yesterday convened the 2018 East Asia Democracy Forum (EADF), which since its founding in 2013 has sought to advance democratic progress in Asia.
The forum invited speakers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan under the imperative: “Prevent Democratic Backsliding”, a title that reflects the urgency of addressing the pervasive threats facing democracies, both fragile and stable, in East Asia.
As conference opening speaker and TFD President Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) suggested, authoritarian regimes are successfully propagating the narrative that democratic governments are “inefficient, chaotic and sluggish” while their one-party counterparts are “productive, effective and efficient.” [FULL STORY]
