President 
Lai Ching-te said his most important responsibility is to keep Taiwanese from being ruled by the Communist Party, speaking on September 19 at a ceremony restoring the reputations of victims of state injustice. Falling under Communist rule, he said, would mean re-entering "the dark era of authoritarian rule." The event, which the Liberty Times reported was titled "Remembering the Past, Toward the Future," combined the redress of state injustice with the presentation of reputation-restoration certificates.
What happened at the ceremony? Lai went to the Changhua International Exhibition Center with the premier and the interior, justice and culture ministers, and presented the certificates in person to representatives of political victims, CNA reported. Speaking in Taiwanese, he paid tribute to earlier generations who fought for Taiwan's democracy, offered sympathy to victims' families and said the government was facing past wrongs by restoring reputations and revoking verdicts. It would keep investigating the truth, seek genuine reconciliation and push ahead with transitional justice, he said. Facing the families, he said the state owed them too much, the Liberty Times reported.
What did he say about China? Democracy is not a given and could regress, or even be confiscated and destroyed through sabotage and interference by Chinese authoritarian forces, Lai said. He called for insisting that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other and that only Taiwan's 23 million people can decide its future, CNA reported. Democracy is mutually exclusive with communism and authoritarianism, he said, and annexation of Taiwan by the Chinese Communist Party would begin another authoritarian tragedy. He urged Taiwanese not to let China's united front divide them.
What did he ask of the public? Beyond defending sovereignty, Lai called for unity in safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, including joint support for the defense budget and for the military's efforts to raise its capabilities, CNA reported. He also called for stronger whole-of-society defense resilience to secure peace through strength, and for uniting with democracies worldwide under a democratic umbrella that safeguards Indo-Pacific security and prosperity. With next year marking the 80th anniversary of the 228 Incident, he pledged to stay on the front line and never let such tragedy recur.
Figures referenced: Lai Ching-te. — JudgeMarket.
