Tsai vows to deepen Taiwan’s democracy, honors late President Lee Teng-hui

2021/08/03

President Tsai Ing-wen said July 30 that deepening Taiwan’s democracy and defending democratic values are the solemn responsibilities of the country’s current generation.
 
On the one-year anniversary of former President Lee Teng-hui’s death, the government and people are determined to honor his memory by furthering the development of Taiwan’s democracy, Tsai said.
 
Lee was dubbed “Mr. Democracy” for his outstanding contributions to Taiwan’s democratic transition and constitutional reforms, Tsai said. These achievements have set the country in good stead in the years since Lee left office, she added.
 
Tsai made the remarks while attending the opening ceremony of an exhibition honoring Lee organized by Academia Historica in Taipei City.
 
According to Tsai, the theme of the exhibition is 1991, the year when Lee formally ended the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion. The abolishment of the provisions led to a series of democratic reforms in Taiwan, including direct elections for president and vice president.
 
Lee served 12 years as president of the ROC (Taiwan). He took office in January 1988 upon the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo, was sworn in again in May 1990 and six years later became the nation’s first democratically elected head of state.
 
On May 20, 2000, Lee stepped down as president. He led an active public and personal life until passing away last year aged 97 in Taipei City. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)