U.S. NGO holds youth forum on democracy in Taipei

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) A United States nongovernmental organization hosted a youth forum in Taipei on Tuesday in which dozens of students shared their observations on Taiwan's democratic system.

The event, "Polarization and Reconciliation: Youth Forum on Democratic Resilience," was held by the International Republican Institute (IRI) in cooperation with the Central News Agency (CNA).

The participants, most of whom were undergraduate and postgraduate students, exchanged views on events that have deeply divided Taiwanese society, such as the recent passage of amendments to government oversight laws and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019.

The future of the amendments, pushed through by opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party lawmakers at the end of May despite strong opposition from ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, now hinge on a ruling by Taiwan's Constitutional Court.

Those events and the reaction to them reflected the polarization in Taiwan's politics and society, which CNA Editor-in-Chief Chris Wang (王思捷) attributed in part to the effects of "politainment."

According to Wang, politicians have increasingly used dramatic methods to communicate their political agendas or undermine their rivals, which the media then amplifies through extensive coverage.

Tuesday's event was part of the IRI's program to foster discussion on democracy among young people in Taiwan, Loa Iok-sin (賴昱伸), a program manager of the IRI's Taiwan Office, told CNA.

With a presence in more than 60 countries, the IRI is a Washington-headquartered non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting democracy around the world.

The IRI opened its Taiwan office in 2021.