Ranking No. 1 in the Free World, While Democracy and Rule of Law Gradually Decline

  Ranking No. 1 in the Free World, While Democracy and Rule of Law Gradually Decline

 United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

February 6, 2017

 Translation of an Except

 “Freedom House,” an American non-governmental organization, released its Freedom in the World 2017 in which the degree of Taiwan's freedom has exceeded that of the United States and France, let alone that of Mainland China, and has been rated as the  "most free" country in the entire world. To our countrymen, this is something to be proud of, but it also merits an alert and warning.

If we say that the degree of freedom in Taiwan has exceeded that of the United States and France, many who have heard this news would still probably feel incredulous. Undeniably, the tradition of liberty in France and the democratic spirit of the United States have been facing threats and destruction in recent years. The Freedom House report referred to these issues, and has, respectively, lowered the grades for the degree of freedom in France and America, and allowing the degree of freedom in Taiwan to surpass that of the United States and France. The problem is that while feeling proud of this fact, Taiwan should caution itself in view of the recession of freedom and democracy and the rule of law in France and the United States, but also turn back and self-inspect our own state of democracy and rule of law that has not really marched forward.

 The development of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, in fact, is linked together, for good or for bad. In a country where democracy malfunctions the rule of law is undermined, if it only has excessive freedom, it is easy to see the country dislocated in social order, and easy to abet populism, and even allow dictatorship, like a tiger out of its cage, to eventually devour freedom. The title of the Freedom House report is “Populists and Autocrats: The Dual Threat to Global Democracy.” This is a sterling caveat that merits caution and alert for Taiwan.

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