In Defense of Liberal Principles: CALD Participates in a Global Political Workshop

Chile recently hosted a global gathering of liberal democratic political parties, and CALD members were of course there to participate – even if that meant traveling for more than 24 hours to get there.

On 26-28 November 2024, Red Liberal de America Latina (RELIAL), with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), held an interactive and innovative workshop attended by around three dozen political party representatives across the world.

The CALD delegation, led by its Chairperson Mardi Seng from Candlelight Party (CLP) of Cambodia, also included representatives from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan, Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), and Civil Will Green Party (CWGP) of Mongolia.

The CALD delegates made several interventions during the 3-day workshop.  CALD Chairperson Seng, for example, was featured in the “Global Newscast” – an informative space where the latest political events shaping the course of societies worldwide were discussed.  In this segment, Seng discussed the current political situation in Cambodia and the Asian region.

Wenli Alysa Chiu of the DPP also spoke in the session, “The Liberal Spot – Liberal Experiences in Government.” In her presentation, she tackled the opportunities and challenges of the DPP as a ruling party amidst the increasing pressure from China.  She also discussed how Taiwan under the DPP leadership has become a model of effective liberal democratic governance.

Finally, Seng also represented CALD in the session on “Global Perspectives on Recent American Elections”, where he discussed the possible security, political and economic implications of Trump’s second presidency. He warned that Asia would be facing several issues, problems and uncertainties under Trump.  He added: “We are now witnessing the specter of Trumpism – a unique blend of economic nationalism, nativism and strongman approach to leadership – and its repercussions would reverberate not only in Asia, but also in other parts of the globe.”

The workshop took place in Santiago in conjunction with the 64^th Congress of Liberal International.