President Chen Shui-bian has stressed that the academy he has founded will not belong to any political party, but will serve as a think tank as well as an education organ to propagate "democratic values."
The president was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Ketagalan Academy, an institute designed to "nurture the future leaders of the nation."
Government officials attending the ceremony included Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung, and Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen.
President Chen said Ketagalan Academy will not be a school of the ruling DPP, and will not be a social gathering of the rich and influential, nor will it try to instill any ideology, but will serve as a place for the brain-storming of ideas and concepts.
The president said that with the inauguration of his government in 2000, many past problems have been solved or are in the process of being solved, but he said some problems have come from the invisible places from people's hearts, which he said are the results of whether one has firm convictions of democratic values.
The president said that Taiwan has had to endure the confusion of "genuine" and "fake" democracy in the past, which has created turmoil in society and he wanted to deepen democracy in Taiwan and cement democratic values. The school will help promote such values, he said.
He said the deepening of democracy in Taiwan will rely on five crucial areas: a universal and deep-rooted democratic education, an independent judicial system, a clear division between party and politics, objective and rational media, and an open and peaceful public forum.
"These things will not be completed with only a few political figures, " the president said, adding that all must actively participate through "dialogue and communication" to complete the tasks.
Chen said that he invited former DPP Chairman Lin Yi-hsiung to serve as the founder of the institute, but that Lin turned the offer down. Noting that Lin has devoted all his life to democracy and is a firm believer in tolerance and rationality, he expressed the hope that Lin still will preside over a chair at the school to share his democratic experiences.
The president said that he had dreamed of opening the school for more than 30 years. As the founder of Ketagalan Academy, he said that he hopes that "like a seed falling on good soil, the institute will one day yield amply on the democratic soil of Taiwan."
The academy will be under the jurisdiction of the Formosa Foundation, which is headed by first lady Wu Shu-chen, and will receive its budget from the foundation.
The inaugural class on national leadership and development strategy included legislators Kao Chi-peng and Chen Chi-mai, Government Information Office Deputy Director Lee Cher-jean, China Industrial Development Bank Acting Chairwoman Chen Min-hsun, and Taiwan Salt Chairman Cheng Pao-ching.
One-third of the students enrolled are DPP members, and 80 percent of them hold a masters degree or a Ph.D. The average age of the students is 42 years, with women accounting for 14 of the 40-member class.
Former Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng serves as the school's president, while DPP former Deputy Secretary-General You Ying-lung serves as vice president.
The class will open April 5. Serving as lecturers will be former President Lee Teng-hui, National Security Bureau Chief Tsai Chao-ming, Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chong-pin, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. Chairwoman Nita Ing, former National Taiwan University professor Lee Hung-hsi, and political commentator Chin Heng-wei.
President Chen will be the first speaker of a Huang Hsin-chieh chair, which was set up in memory of the late DPP heavyweight.
Last Update: March 2003
