Asian democrats see hard work ahead

Asian democrats see hard work ahead

SINGAPORE (AFP): Asia faces an uphill battle for ensuring full democracy despite significant inroads such as holding free elections in Taiwan and Indonesia, the region's democrats said on Sunday.

They said they expect the advance of information technology, and the wide use of the Internet, to boost their campaign for more open political systems.

Martin Lee, chairman Hong Kong's opposition Democratic Party, said some Asian leaders wrongly argued that Western-style democracy was not suited to the region because of the vast cultural diversity.

"I think it is important for the world to know that we Asians are not a different people. And if democracy is a good thing for the people of any continent, then it is good for the people of this continent," he told a news conference.

Lee, a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council, attended a forum on "political openness and democratic accountability" held here Saturday.

Lim Guan Eng, vice chairman of the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia, said democracy was boosted within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping since the first democratic elections in Indonesia last year.

The elections followed the fall of president Soeharto. But Lim also noted the presence of laggards within ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"Thailand has made tremendous progress, but I think generally, ASEAN countries ... should take a proactive stand towards democracy," he said. "I think it's going to be a painful process. From our own experiences, democracy is never given. It must be fought for and I think the people of ASEAN countries will still have a lot of fighting do to," he said.

Hong Kong's Lee said Asia has seen some progress in the move toward democracy. "But you also see setbacks," he said, citing the ouster of prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan by the armed forces chief.

Wilson Tien, director for international affairs of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said he was hopeful the Internet would bolster pro-democracy movements because it made it harder for governments to regulate information.

The DPP, headed by President Chen Shui-bian, upset the dominant Kuomintang party in Taiwan's presidential elections earlier this year.

Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, the grand old man of the Singapore opposition, added: "There is no question that governments, whatever they resort to, will not be able to prevent the advance of democracy."

Chee Soon Juan, secretary general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, said the future of democracy in East Asia would depend on democrats banding together to exert some influence.

He cited the formation of a Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific which includes South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, former Philippine president Corazon Aquino and Indian opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, among others.

Democrats from the region should unite to "tell the governments that you cannot bully one democrat in a country without also affecting democrats in other countries," he said.