CALD Participates in World Movement for Democracy

It was a global gathering of democrats like no other, and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) was proud to be part of it.

The 11^th Global Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy (WMD) took place in Taipei, Taiwan on 25-27 October 2022 with over two hundred democracy activists, experts, parliamentarians and donors from all regions of the world in attendance.

With the theme, “’Claiming the Democratic Future: Unifying Voices for a New Frontier”, the event aimed to foster greater unity of efforts to address authoritarian challenges and build democratic momentum.  In this regard, the Assembly participants engaged in a wide range of practical workshops and panel discussions, and shared expertise in building resilient democratic institutions and defending civic space.

One of the panel discussions was entitled, “Unite for Democracy: Cross-Party Collaboration: A Game-Changer?”, organized by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI).  Moderated by Birgitta Ohlsson, NDI’s Director for Political Parties, the panel looked into the potentials of cross-party collaboration as a way to unite democracies worldwide and push back on democratic backsliding.

Executive Director Lito Arlegue represented CALD in the panel, which also featured Brunco Goncalves, secretary general of International Union of Socialist Youth, and Da-chi Liao, vice president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.  In introducing the panel, Ohlsson emphasized the challenge posted by authoritarian rule on democracy as the dominant global model, and what can democrats do about it.

“The challenge to democracy has been going on for years, but for us in CALD, the turning point was the year 2016”, said Arlegue. “The electoral victory of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump turned 2016 into an annus horribilis, and served as a wake-up call for us in CALD that we cannot just continue doing what we do – we have to do more.”

Drawing from the experience of CALD, Arlegue proposed three recommendations on how political parties can be a game-changer in this global battle between democracy and authoritarianism: 1) Parties must find ways to incorporate young people within their party structures; 2) They must also recognize that local issues – not ideological or geostrategic considerations – matter most for the people; and 3) They must walk the talk and practice what they preach.

“We are in the last two minutes in the fight to keep democracy alive”, said Maria Ressa, Rappler CEO and Nobel Peace Laureate in her address to the Assembly.  Judging from the response of the participants to the Assembly, it seemed that they too believed on the need for democrats to act swiftly and decisively.

Apart from Arlegue, Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada, vice president of the Liberal Party of the Philippines, also formed part of the CALD delegation.