Although the world situation is marked by extreme vicissitudes and tumultuous changes are taking place on the Chinese mainland, our bastion of national reconstruction is strong, stable and still growing. As we observe New Year's Day and the 66th anniversary of the Republic, we can behold as never before the bright future of our nation and understand the grave responsibility for saving the Republic and the world. All of us are naturally both excited and stimulated as we welcome the New Year and the new era ahead.
Our National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, led the National Revolution and established the Republic of China, President Chiang Kai-shek then led us in the North ward Expedition, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the suppression of the Communists, the implementation of constitutional government and the national reconstruction of Taiwan. The revolutionary goals of these two leaders were consistent. There were surging countercurrents during the course of the National Revolution, but each insurrection was put down. Our revolutionaries rose up after each reverse to overcome dangers and assure the country's safety and reconstruction. The heritage of this resolute and unremitting spirit and these deeds is the fountainhead of national hope and the guarantee of success in national recovery and reconstruction.
Our bastion of reconstruction is stable and becoming increasingly strong. This can be attributed to the policies and instructions bequeathed to us by Dr. Sun and President Chiang, the ideological leadership of San Mm Chu I (the Three Principles of the People), the martyrdom of our revolutionary fathers and the formative power of our illustrious national culture. These are torches and beacons to inspire the people of the country; their effulgence illuminates the 20th century. These also serve as the foundation of our faith and determination and the mainstay of our resoluteness and will power. Only with their support can we shoulder our difficult task, turn the tide and fulfill our sacred responsibility to the country and humankind.
Politically, our programs of construction on this bastion have established a model democratic Constitution; economically, they have charted the course of prosperity and development; socially, they have provided a blueprint for harmony and stability. Our measures for augmenting national strength and enriching the people's livelihood have grown out of the concerted efforts of government and people. Like passengers in the same boat, we have recorded these achievements by working together, forging our hearts into a single entity and contributing our wisdom, courage, blood and sweat to the common task. We realize, of course, that our struggle for independence and self-reliance is not only for today, but also for tomorrow; not only to assure that our bastion of reconstruction will become ever more powerful, but also to see that today’s experience in national construction is utilized as the model for tomorrow's mainland reconstruction. This means that our efforts of construction have not only raised the people's standard of living but also have engendered hope that our mainland compatriots will soon regain their freedom.
The Chinese Communists have ceaselessly resorted to brute force and deceit and unremitting purge and struggle to prolong their tyrannical rule. Although Mao Tse-tung's death concluded his career of evil, his cohorts holding various mountaintops under "Mao-
thought" and the "Mao system" have been struggling against one another for factional supremacy. The Peiping regime under Hua Kuo-feng seems to have momentarily gained the upper hand in the struggle for power, but this is really the beginning of a period of mutual slaughter in the wake of Mao's death, The Hua leadership group has absolutely no chance to secure its authority. More desperate power struggle is yet to come. None of the remnants of the Mao bandits will be able to save the regime from its doom of final collapse.
Our mainland compatriots are suffering the effects of bloody storm and scorching crucible. Yet their humanist inclination and the inspiration of their conscience have made manifest that they are endlessly antagonizing the wicked Communists. Our compatriots will never bow down before brute force. Anti-Communist uprisings are now spreading far and wide. Chinese Communist cadres and servicemen also have had enough of Maoist deception and persecution. They are aware of their own peril and await the opportunity to rise in revolt. As an ancient Chinese saying puts it, "The wise man makes his plans in keeping with the times; the fool moves against rationality." With the wisdom of our patriotic mainland compatriots and the repentant Communist cadres pitted against the irrationality of the maniacal Communist chieftains, the success or failure of the Peiping regime is easy to predict. That is to say, the present critical stage in the Peiping regime's total collapse is the crucial moment in which our mainland compatriots and Communist cadres and servicemen will rise up for the salvation of self and nation.
The recovery of the mainland and the salvation of our compatriots constitute our paramount goal. The call for national righteousness and the beacon of humanity are inspiring all anti-Communist and patriotic people on the mainland to leave the darkness quickly and return to the light. Although the people on the mainland are separated from us here in this bastion of reconstruction by the Taiwan Straits, their anti-Communist determination is identical with ours; we share with them a sincere patriotic conscience and the love of our people. We shall wholeheartedly welcome all those who rise up against or defect from Communism and shall resolutely put to use every effective means to give them active support; affirmatively uphold their human dignity, rights and freedom; assure their enjoyment of all the rights prescribed in the Constitution of the Republic of China; and keep all the promises of our government.
The Republic of China has adhered to its anti-Communist national policy and remains a member of the democratic camp." It is faithful and sincere in pursuing its international relationships and in seeking to unite the democratic forces. Our efforts are not confined to the salvation of country and people but also serve the interests of world peace. We must point out that the shameless measures of the Chinese Communists include internal oppression, the export of violence, infiltration, subversion, deception and the employment of others to destroy their enemies. These measures are intended to divide and defeat the democracies one by one. If some democratic countries are unaware of the facts and seek conciliation and detente with the Chinese Communists, the end result will be turmoil even though this may be preceded by temporary peace.
Only with reunification of the Republic of China through eradication of the Chinese Communist regime can Asian stability be assured and world peace won. We have lengthy experience in opposing Communism and can see the real ugly face of the Chinese Communists despite their attempt to hide behind magic tricks and make use of a rumormongering offensive. We have no compatibility with the Chinese Communists and will never compromise or talk peace with them. Instead, we shall call on the democracies to strengthen their citadel of justice, heighten their anti-Communist vigilance and seek peace through strength - abandoning the false peace of humiliation to welcome the true peace of justice.
Today, our government and people are joined together as one body and Chinese at home and abroad are of one mind. The people of our bastion have entered the ranks of construction; they are industrious in their work, loyal, courageous arid stronger than ever. The armed forces are well trained and ever combat-ready. Their morale is at peak and they are supremely confident of defeating the enemy. Overseas Chinese have demonstrated anew their traditional revolutionary will and spirit by undertaking their tasks in the face of difficulty and danger, thus consolidating our intangible anti-Communist Great Wall overseas. Additionally, the hundreds of millions of mainland compatriots who hate even to share the same sky with the Chinese Communists constitute our vanguard and will be our rear guard at the time of counterattack. I am supremely confident that with our spirit of solidarity and our joint endeavors, we shall be able to move ahead in our great task, overcome all difficulties and win the sacred war to liberate our compatriots from tyranny in the near future. On this occasion of New Year's Day, I wish to cite these three concepts as common endeavor of all our people, military and civilian alike:
- Resolute will power. This will assure unyielding faith and determination. The people will never be coerced by power or coaxed by bribes. They will not be disquieted in time of adversity; they will be able to make prudent plans and arrive at correct judgments. When the people become one through their resolute will power, they will be united in their actions.
- Pure morality. We must develop our instinctive benevolence and promote our traditional virtues to assure pure morality. To be upright and honest, enlarge rationality and restrain material desires are essential requirements of psychological reconstruction. These can be regarded as signposts pointing the way to social progress.
- Strong sense of responsibility. The rise or fall of a country is the responsibility of every citizen. Only those who are responsible can contribute and devote themselves to the country, endure hardships and accept blame. We must be responsible to Chinese history and culture and for mainland recovery and national reconstruction in our time. This sense of responsibility must be intense and it is necessarily sacred.
My Fellow Countrymen: The dawn is within sight and our victory lies just ahead. Let us seize this opportunity to create a new situation through our combined efforts. In doing so, we can be confident that the brilliance of Chinese culture will illumine the hearts of the people, that the flags of San Min Chu I will fly throughout the territory of China and that the whole Chinese people will enjoy together the blessings of freedom, equality and well-being.
Premier Chiang Ching-kuo's address to the 1976 Convention of the Members of the National Assembly
December 25, 1976
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution. You have exercised political power on behalf of the people in accordance with the Constitution for the last 29 years. The celebration of the adoption and implementation of our Constitution is an occasion of great importance.
Our country has encountered immense difficulties and adversities during the last 30 years. But we have fought on courageously and undauntedly in defense of our Constitution and for the salvation of our country. Although the mainland still has not been recovered and the Constitution therefore has not been implemented in the whole country, we have worked hard in carrying out the late President Chiang Kai-shek's instructions to reassert the Principle of Nationalism, to effect the Principle of Democracy and to seek initial success in applying the Principle of the People's Livelihood. Through these efforts, constitutional rule has come to illumine our bastion of national recovery in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The bountiful fruit of constitutional rule has brought the blessings of democracy, freedom, stability and prosperity to our compatriots, civilian and military alike, who are living in this bastion of national revival. This has won the unanimous praise of our compatriots abroad. The impact has been squarely felt in the hearts of our compatriots on the mainland.
During the process of implementation, we have come to understand that the longer constitutional rule is carried out, the clearer will be the requirement of democratic constitutional rule in keeping with the political ideal of the Three Principles of the People for solving the Chinese problem, making the country wealthy and strong, and agreeing on necessary laws and proper systems for national revival. At the same time, we are all the more convinced that the Chinese Communist regime, which indiscriminately enslaves the people by clinging to the talisman of Marxism-Leninism, eventually will be defeated and destroyed by the benevolent rule of the Three Principles of the People, which respects human nature, safeguards human rights and promotes humanitarianism. Additionally, we again have come to realize that every single effort of the late President in his lifelong devotion to the National Revolution was dedicated to the termination of domestic sorrows and the removal of foreign aggressors obstructing our national survival, and to constitutional rule and the people's livelihood. The goal of our common struggle has involved the devotion of all our energies to the adoption, implementation and protection of our Constitution. Our task of today is to assure that our self-reliance advances the Three Principles of the People and constitutional rule in this bastion of national recovery. In so doing, we can take our glorious Constitution back to the mainland and provide the blessings of constitutional rule for the whole country.
We shall remain in the democratic camp and assure national recovery
Honorable Members: Our country has its consistent ideals and fundamental principles. We have already made significant progress and built a solid foundation of constitutional rule. So it is that we have matchless determination and confidence in the future of our country. From this base, we have been able to overcome international adversities of the last few years without worry, fear, panic or confusion. We have moved forward with firm steps in opening up the road to our own future. We have not altered in the slightest our fundamental position and belief that the mainland must be recovered. We shall adhere to this position faithfully until we succeed.
Internationally, we shall always remain in the camp of democracy. As a member of the international community, we shall contribute our share of strength to the common effort and actions to assure world peace and justice.
At this point, I must reiterate that within the free world we have always been a sincere and steadfast friend of the United States. Among the multilateral and bilateral agreements signed by the United States with other free nations in the postwar years, the Sino-American mutual defense treaty has been especially significant in enduring the tests of time. The perpetuation or abrogation of this treaty will affect not only the vital interests of the two signatories but also the security of all Asia and the free world. The United States will surely not ignore its own interests and common interests with its allies and go to the assistance of a foe that continuously regards America as its "potential enemy." To do so would be to destroy a true friend which shares with the United States common sorrows and blessings and identical interests.
Let it be said that we uphold President Ford's spirit of respect for the time-honored friendship between the Republic of China and the United States. We also salute President-elect Carter for his announced position of attaching importance to morality in diplomacy and of stressing friend ship with allies.
We are completely confident that upon entering its third century of nationhood, the Untied States will adhere to its moral position of promoting freedom and will continue to lead the free world in efforts to establish true and universal peace.
Honorable Members: Although the international horizon in the past year has not been cleansed of treachery and capriciousness, the democracies have on the whole braced up, cast off their short comings and intensified the struggle against the Communist bloc. We can see signs that the world climate is gradually changing.
Many people have recently analyzed the world situation and concluded that the free world has gradually become disillusioned with the will-o'-the-wisp of "detente" and at the same time has come to have a better understanding of the evil that lies behind Communist smiles. Free countries are attaching more importance to the concept of moral value and have become more cooperative in economic relations. At the same time, the Communist lands including Soviet Russia, the Peiping regime and the Eastern European regimes - have been plagued by wide-spreading domestic crises.
These developments bear out one of our fundamental views: that the tide of appeasement will recede, and that after a period of uncertainties, the struggle between the free world and the Communist bloc - and between democracy and totalitarianism, between freedom and slavery and between humanity and bestiality - will become clear and quickly begin to favor the side of justice.
Some people nevertheless continue to harbor illusions about the Chinese Communists and even to believe that the existence of the Chinese Communist regime is a fact to be accepted. Of course, there are also people who regard this illusion as a fallacy in itself, because to harbor an illusion about a "non-Chinese" tyrannical regime is extremely dangerous. What are the facts regarding the existence of the Peiping regime? We can point to:
- The fact of internal struggle in the wake of the sequential deaths of Chou En-lai, Chu Teh and Mao Tse-tung.
- The fact of another round of struggle after the "gang of four counterrevolutionary revisionists" was purged. Communist chieftains and cadres find it difficult to "pass muster" and everyone feels himself in danger.
- The fact of larger and deeper struggle between new and old cadres and between Chinese Communist troops and militiamen. In view of the facts that "too many people have been arrested and it is difficult to set them free," that "it takes too much time to mobilize and move troops" and that the "audacity of rebellion has to be built up again," the Chinese Communists are compelled to urge that "the spearhead be directed against the superiors, not the subordinates," and that "the sphere of education be enlarged and the sphere of attack be narrowed."
- The fact of fearing that "if capitalism is not permanently defeated on political and ideological fronts, the work of half a century will be destroyed in a day." The Communists claim that vigilance must be heightened because disloyal sons have appeared in every dynasty.
- The fact of fearing that "world revolution cannot be completed while Russian revisionism exists." Internally, the Chinese Communists worry about the fact that everywhere there are "people who want to pass on the mantle of capitalism," that everywhere there are "organized and premeditated conspirators," that everywhere there are "disruptions in the party and among the workers and even armed struggle," and that everywhere there is "hatred of socialism" and "demands for vengeance and the settlement of blood debts with blood." Externally, there are facts of struggle "against Russian revisionism" and "against the seeking of proxies by the newly emerging bourgeois elements within the party." There are facts of increasing struggles along the parallel lines of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism, and also facts of stepping up activities of infiltration, division and subversion in other countries.
All of these facts combine to back up the fact that to maintain that the Chinese Communist regime has factual existence is a dubious and implausible argument. We must urge the people of the world to look squarely at the fact that the Chinese Communists have come to realize that the existence of the strong and powerful Republic of China threatens their domestic rule and poses the greatest obstacle to their external expansion. Consequently, they have used such contemptible means as rumormongering, mudslinging and sowing seeds of discord and disintegration in order to undermine the Republic of China's relations with other countries of the free world, to confuse the people of the world and to divert attention from them selves.
These deceptions are known to everyone and are apparent. It is also crystal clear to knowledgeable people that the deepening domestic crisis of the Chinese Communists is definitely tolling the death knell of the regime, regardless of whether it may still enjoy a brief breathing spell or is compelled to embark immediately upon the dangerous course of adventurism. To harbor illusion about the Chinese Communists is in fact even worse than looking for pie in the sky. It is worse, because it will lead to disaster. To consider the existence of the Chinese Communists a matter of fact is in itself dangerous indeed.
We shall take firm steps to distribute wealth equitably
Our hard work of the last year has pushed national construction another step forward.
We are aware that the primary goal of construction is the improvement of the lives of our people. In our struggle in this bastion of national revival, we have always sought the parallel goals of construction to improve the people's livelihood and undertakings to serve the cause of national recovery. Generally speaking, construction to improve the people's livelihood should also assure economic stability and development. We have proceeded in this direction. To put it another way, we hope to guarantee the security of the people, to narrow the gap between wealth and poverty and to raise the average living standard through economic stability. We shall at the same time augment our economic development and move from the status of developing country to that of developed country. Our approach is to increase economic potential for further development and, at the same time, to increase combat capability for national recovery.
To orchestrate the human and material resources required for the Ten Basic Construction Projects and to coordinate investment and development in other sectors, we began in this year (the fourth year of the Sixth Four-Year Economic Development Plan) the implementation of the new Six-Year Economic Development Plan. When this plan is completed, we hope per capita income will have been increased from the US$700 of 1975 to US$1,400 in 1981. Additionally, we hope to attain these goals:
- Everyone will have his own house, well equipped and clean.
- Everyone will be clothed better than now.
- Everyone will have more convenient mass transportation than now.
- Everyone will be entitled to maximum education.
- Everyone will have the right to work.
- Everyone will eat well.
I want to make clear that our ideal is a society in which resources are owned by the public and the fruits of construction are enjoyed by the public. We must provide the people with a life of "peace, harmony, happiness and equal wealth" once they have sufficient clothing and food. Judging from the present state of affairs, our economic development is still at the turning point - that is, a stage where we must shift the gears of the engine of growth as identified by the economists. At this stage, we have found that we still must remove obstacles created by previous international economic crises before we shift into higher gear. At the same time, it cannot be denied that our internal difficulties are increasing rapidly. We must make every effort to cope with them, to solve them and to make improvements. We must change our internal and external structures and solve the problems of the relative backwardness of public facilities, the redistribution of resources, the reformation of capital, etc. We cannot continuously limit ourselves to assurance of economic growth. We must keep social advances and production in balance. We cannot, further more, judge economic growth solely on the basis of quantitative expansion. The qualitative improvement of the economy as a whole must be emphasized as even more important. We have to lay a sound foundation for our comprehensive, all-out and long range interests.
In the last fiscal year, our gross national product reached NT$547,200 million and gross national income totaled NT$427,400 million. Per capita income was NT$26,840 (US$706), national consumption reached NT$408,000 million and domestic gross capital formation amounted to NT$158,000 million. These figures were offset and reduced by effects of the international economic crisis.
Let us go on to discussion of the central goal of our economic policy based on the Principle of the People's Livelihood: the equitable distribution of wealth.
Some people believe that the economic construction stressed by the government during the last several years has brought prosperity and development to agriculture, industry and business, but only at the cost of further enriching a not inconsiderable number of already wealthy people. So these people wonder whether the government's policy of distributing wealth equitably is in tended to create wealth first and then equalize the distribution of wealth, or vice versa.
We must study this question carefully along these lines:
Our National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, set forth the meaning of "Min Sheng" (the People's Livelihood) as "the livelihood of the people, the existence of society, the economy of the nation and the lives of the masses." This means that the economic policy envisaged in the Principle of the People's Livelihood does not attach importance to the economic interest of any individual, group or class of the people. Rather, it focuses on the common interests of the people and ensures the provision of such basic needs as food, clothing, housing, transportation, education and recreation. All of these have to be provided thoughtfully and the distribution must be reasonable.
Everyone knows that in the course of growth, a developing country must invariably encounter various circumstantial difficulties and that it will also encounter substantial structural difficulties. So the country must first of all place restraints on an overly high standard of living in order to ensure equity of wealth and so as not to carry coal to Newcastle. It can then ensure a reasonable distribution of resources and attain a high level of savings. At the moment we are attaching particular attention to the equal distribution of wealth and to further narrowing the gap between rich and poor. In theory, to seek wealth is a capitalist inclination and to seek equitable distribution smacks of socialism. We must move forward with prudence.
We may truly say that this is the most vital link in the chain of our economic policy based on the Principle of the People's Livelihood and also that this is the major difference between our economic system and Communist tyranny. The Chinese Communists seek to make everyone equally poor. We seek to make everyone equally wealthy so they can lead rich and equitable lives.
In the national construction of today, the government has grasped this vital link of seeking equality in ensuring wealth and seeking wealth in ensuring equality. On the one hand, we strive to accelerate economic development, and on the other hand, we want to make use of every clear and reasonable economic means to ensure the effective use of our national resources, the full employment of the intelligence of individuals and the general improvement of the lives of the people. We thus have attached great importance to improving the lives of people with comparatively lower incomes in formulating our economic policy to promote a society of peace, harmony, happiness and equitable wealth. Our measures include accelerated rural construction, promotion of labor welfare, construction of housing units and the raising of the tax exemptible amount of the income. All of these measures have the same goal.
Signs of recovery have gradually come to dominate the world economic horizon since last spring. In the domestic economy, both agricultural output and industrial production have been expanded and increased by leaps and bounds. Some people believe the government should seize the opportunity to proceed with a massive program of economic construction instead of moving ahead with careful and sure steps.
We have weighed and studied this problem carefully. We found that although the world economy was taking a turn for the better, the overall picture was not stable. Inflation and stagnation have continued in many advanced countries; improvement is still awaited. It is true that our island economy depends on the expansion of trade for further growth. But facing such unstable economic conditions and especially during a period when our own economy has been in an intermediate stage of changing from red light to green, we need to move with sure strides while carefully looking around us. We should not seek immediate gain or move ahead rashly while ignoring possible undesirable consequences. Bearing this in mind, the government felt that in the context of overall development, while ceaselessly taking necessary measures to help industry and business obtain loans and solve export difficulties, it should give careful consideration to such issues as the exchange rate and prices that could affect the stability of the whole economy.
Furthermore, our domestic economy is passing through a period of structural change - from agricultural domination to industrial domination. The pattern of production is changing from that of light industry to heavy and petrochemical industry. In terms of the mode of production, our labor-intensive industry is changing to capital-intensive industry and moving toward technology-intensive industry. This process of change will require several years. So, the years to come will be crucial for our domestic economy. We must study the prospects carefully before taking action.
In the light of these considerations, the new Six-Year Economic Development Plan is basically an attempt to approach development with sure steps. We are seeking development with stability and stability with development.
To say that we are seeking development with sure steps does not imply that we are procrastinating, indulging in conservatism or slowing down. To the contrary, we are making penetrating studies, sound judgment and meticulous plans, and implementing these in a thoroughgoing way. We cannot afford to treat symptoms and ignore the underlying causes.
This approach helped our country to tide over its economic crisis of three years ago. If we adhere to this principle, we can be sure that our country will make headway through the rough seas and satisfactorily attain rank as a highly developed and modern land.
Now let us consider the issue of land rights equalization which we are now planning for universal implementation.
To carry out the equalization of land ownership and complete the "land-to-the-tiller" program are the government's two major tasks of land reform. Both are aimed at the reasonable distribution of land resources in order to carry out the ideals of "making the best use of land," "assuring that everyone enjoys the benefits of land" and "establishing a society of peace, harmony and the equal distribution of wealth" for the welfare of all the people. Under the equalization of land ownership program, the increment of land value will go to the government coffers. The aim of this enactment is to use the revenue to finance such public welfare programs as the care of children and the aged, relief for disaster-stricken and poor people, development of public health services and for the implementation of such projects as public housing, city roads, sewers and public education.
We chose Taiwan for implementation of our "37.5% rent reduction" program in 1949 and followed this up with the "land to-the-tiller" program in 1954. In the last more than 20 years, our success in land reform has won worldwide attention. Be cause farmers owned their land, agricultural production and farm income have been greatly increased.
Statistics show that the per hectare yield of rice, our major crop, increased from 3,894 kilograms in 1948 to 8,117 kilograms in 1975, or more than double. The farmer's gain, after deduction of the paddy tax, increased from 1,947 kilograms to 7,716 kilograms, or nearly four times.
These accomplishments indicate that the "land-to-the-tiller" program implemented in keeping with our National Father's philosophy is 100 per cent correct and that we have scored a 100 per cent success.
As for urban land reform, the government began to implement a local program to equalize urban land ownership in 1956, when land prices were prescribed for 54 districts. Preliminary results have borne out the belief that this is truly a measure benefiting both country and people. This has heightened our determination and given us the confidence to carry out the program on a universal basis.
Following the most recent study, we submitted the Statute Governing the Equalization of Land Ownership to the Legislative Yuan for study and deliberation. The law will be brought into force as soon as it has been approved. We shall then be able to carry out our multi-faceted task of implementing land reform, promoting the use of land, preventing land speculation, narrowing the gap between rich and poor and furthering the welfare of all the people. We expect that this measure will clear up the doubts and concerns of some people and win all-out support.
To put it succinctly, though the economic problems involved in improving the people's livelihood are extremely complicated, we must attain our goal of making the country and the people wealthy by adhering to the spirit of concentrating all efforts on the welfare of the people, doing every thing possible to ensure equality and justice, choosing our steps carefully and employing economic means which are in keeping with the needs of the country.
Key construction for national defense, culture, psychology and society
Under the long-time leadership of the late President Chiang, our national armed forces attained a new dimension in army-building. A new horizon, spirit and strength were attained in such major sectors as the philosophy applying to army-building, strategic principles and the educational system, and the command and staff organization and logistical operations, and then down to the level of tactical training, weaponry, enhancement of morale and improvement in discipline. Special attention has been paid since the termination of U.S. aid to strengthening our self-reliance in the armaments industry, to the manufacture of new weapons, to heightening troop mobility and attack capability, to studies of measures to counter changes in the Chinese Communist military and the turmoil on the mainland, and to the assistance and care given retired servicemen. We have made progress in all these fields.
As of today, officers and men of our national armed forces are continuing to cultivate their combat potential, to strengthen scientific and technological research, to develop the combined war tactics of the three branches of the armed forces and augment the spirit of defeating a numerically superior enemy under the current strategic goal of "seeking survival, seeking consolidation, seeking development and seeking victory." Our forces are prepared to be the first to join in action and the first to succeed at any time and in any place.
In a broad sense, cultural construction is identical with psychological and social construction. Its basis is education. We have always attached importance to cultural education based on the needs and characteristics of our people so that we could carry out our national cultural renaissance. We have made social education, social order and social service the fundamental requirements, while the carrying out of social welfare, social cooperation and social security are the goals. Our approach is to "combine in form the progress of our school education with that of social education, to link in substance our ideological education with that for life, ethics and vocation, and to coordinate in time the needs of short-range training with basic education. "
In recent years, the government has sought to develop the people's education in national spirit, improve the educational system and administration, and increase educational facilities and installations in keeping with the needs of national construction. We believe that improvement of the educational system is helpful in developing the undertakings of education, and that the planned cultivation of human resources will help us meet the medium- range and long-range requirements of national construction; that the expanded implementation of vocational education, supplementary education and special education is instrumental in the propagation of social education, social employment and social stability; that the strengthening of research in social, natural and applied sciences and the promotion of international cultural and educational cooperation will tend to raise the academic level; and that the development of education in the Three Principles of the People, education for patriotism and education in the national spirit will strengthen cultural education based on the ethical needs of the people.
To sum up, our cultural, psychological and social construction is based on the spirit of ethics, democracy and science. In formulating our policies for implementation, we have given attention to their relevancy and consistency. The government has taken a number of measures, including universal implementation of the "land-to-the-tiller" program; enlargement of the social insurance program; improvement of the lives of fishermen, salt workers and miners; promotion of full employment; augmentation of vocational training; promotion of social welfare; expansion of social relief; construction of housing units; encouragement of urban and rural community development; expansion of local self-government; spurring of provincial construction; the heeding of domestic and foreign public opinion; emphasis on information programs; establishment of a system of responsibility for the serving of the people; streamlining of civil bodies; formulation of a eugenic law to improve population quality; strengthening of public health; addition of such facilities as parks, art exhibitions and physical exercise grounds; vigorous promotion of the "Code of Life for the Citizenry" and "Models and Examples of Etiquette." All of these measures are intended to establish an honest and pure society in which everyone will abide by the law, remain faithful, be punctual and observe social mores.
Protection of human rights and implementation of the rule of law
We have for years reiterated that no matter how the world situation might change or how many difficulties the nation faced, we should never waver or change in our determination and our actions to implement constitutional rule and safeguard human rights. At this moment when we are giving attention to human rights and showing our respect for civil rights, the government will base all measures relating to the people's rights on the principle of ensuring human dignity and rights. The government requires that all its administrators act in accordance with this basic principle.
It is an undeniable fact that the people of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu - the bastion of national survival - are living under the protection of the Constitution and enjoy all the civil rights and freedoms that the people of a democratic country may enjoy. All the people of the country understand that the fundamental spirit and protection of a free and democratic society depend on organized democracy and disciplined freedom. The democracy and freedom we seek must provide that "everyone is equal before the law and that everyone is free within the bounds of the law." Law and society do not allow anyone to overstep these boundaries.
In point of fact, no democratic country can tolerate people who disturb society or jeopardize the country by committing crimes. Our situation is like that of a boat sailing through rough seas. We can naturally ill afford to allow unlawful elements to endanger our stability and security. Consequently, we shall never pardon or tolerate unlawful elements that engage in subversion or other seditious activities.
Nevertheless, ours is a democratic country governed by law in which the protection of human rights is a basic requirement. So even in handling unlawful elements whose guilt is clearly established by the evidence, we must proceed in accordance with legal processes involving fair trials and thoroughgoing investigation. We must see to it that no one is wronged and at the same time that no criminal gets off without punishment. We shall not pardon anyone who has jeopardized the country or society, nor shall we wrong anyone who is innocent. Because either the pardoning of a criminal or the wronging of the innocent would affect society directly and indirectly, we have never taken any rash action that would "infringe human rights."
Taiwan society has always been in good order, so seditious elements cannot take root. In past years, sedition cases have been limited in number. Let me cite some figures:
For the 28-year period from 1949 to the present, the count of persons convicted of sedition and still serving prison terms is 254. The number of those convicted in the last three years totals 95: 21 in 1974, 41 in 1975 and 33 in 1976. Only one has been sentenced to death; his crime was serious and he did not repent. Of the other 253, 27 are imprisoned for life, 58 for more than ten years, 111 for more than five years and 57 for more than one year.
These are facts. But a few people in the world do not know what is right and what is wrong and misunderstand, asserting that in handling such cases our government has infringed human rights. We want the world to know the truth, and we shall be glad to cooperate with the investigation of any international organization that is based on goodwill toward us. By contrast, the Peiping regime gives short shrift to people's lives and ravages human rights. Since the Communists usurped the mainland more than 20 years ago, they have killed at least 60 million people. Countless others have been banished, imprisoned or persecuted. It is a known fact that even Communist chieftains are not spared in cold-blooded purges involving fighting and killing. This is clinching evidence of Communist bestiality. We hope the world can distinguish between those who safeguard human rights and those who ravage human rights, and between those who support the rule of law and those who do not. We also hope the world will come to understand and support our efforts to ensure our national security, to maintain social order and to advance the cause of human rights and the rule of law.
Carrying out the mission of constitutional rule with determined actions
Honorable Members: This is the end of the year and we shall soon be entering a new one. Assessing the future, we know that while we cannot say when the turbulent world will calm down, we can be sure that the overall developments to come will make the next year one of decisive significance.
When you met last year, President Yen Chia-kan told you: "The contemporary history of the Republic of China is a history of consistent and unflagging struggle for freedom, justice, democracy and constitutional rule." This points to our historic responsibility for carrying out democratic and constitutional government.
A little more than a month ago, the ruling party held its 11th National Congress. The meeting charted the course for our struggle, established guidelines for action and created a new spirit and a new horizon for our national recovery and reconstruction. The Congress stressed that:
- China's future will be shaped by the conscience of the Chinese people.
- China's destiny is in the hands of the Chinese themselves.
- Revolution is our responsibility in ensuring democracy, and democracy is our consistent and life-or-death objective.
- Even in this moment of revolution and struggle, we shall insist on implementing democracy and constitutional rule.
- We shall establish the political norm of an open society and a democratic order of rationality.
- All measures must coincide with the interests and meet the requirements of the people, and all efforts must be harmonized with the implementation of plans for national recovery and reconstruction.
This declaration means that so long as our measures are matched to the interests and needs of the people and the requirements for implementing plans for national recovery and reconstruction, we shall carry them out regardless of domestic obstacles and external difficulties, or vice versa.
We believe that the spirit and statement of the ruling party will provide further help in the promotion and implementation of democratic and constitutional government.
All of my administrative colleagues have dedicated themselves to the fulfillment of democratic and constitutional government; they will never waver. So we shall make our contemporary history one of steadfast and glorious struggle for freedom, justice, democracy and constitutional government.
Today is the 29th anniversary of the implementation of the Constitution following its adoption. You are meeting here to review your past and to chart the course for the constitutional rule of the future. I should like to take this opportunity to express my great respect for your spirit of dedication to the nation and for your contributions to the glorification of the Constitution. I wish your meeting great success and good health and prosperity for every one of you.