Regional Liberal Networks Respond to Democracy and Development

CALD joined delegates from various regional liberal networks to discuss the links between democracy and development in their respective regions at the Liberal International 57th Congress this past June. Delegates from Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America presented about and discussed the state and p
rospects of democracy and development in different regions of the world. The meeting consisted of two sessions chaired by Dr. Rainer Adam, regional director of FNF East and Southeast Asia. Dr. Neric Acosta, Secretary General of CALD, provided the synthesis and closing remarks for the event. Open forums at the end of each session opened up the floor for remarks from participants.

The first session, entitled “The Linkage between Democracy and Development: Experiences from the Regions,” allowed delegates to present the historical background of their regions with regard to democracy and development. Hon. Niccolo Rinaldi, Vice Chair of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), acknowledged the importance of trade and the economic aspects of development in sustaining democracy. He incorporated recent political uprisings, such as the recent Arab Spring, to urge his regional partners to consider the benefits of trade to simultaneously support democracy and economic development. But Chairperson of Red Liberal de America Latina (RELIAL), Hon. Otto Guevara Guth, emphasized the need to more closely define development. According to Guevara, “Development is related to the maximization of the well-being of the population in the long-run.” He also explained how economic development and the expansion of free trade throughout Latin America remains a challenge to the region (despite the fact that most countries in South and Central America are already democratic states). “You can be democratic without any economic growth,” he said. Dr. Mamadou Lamine Ba, President of the African Liberal Network (ALN), stressed the need for the spread of political and civil freedoms throughout Africa because, he said, “Freedom and democracy [are] important for development.” He believes Africa cannot be the center of the world economy in the near future unless stable democratic institutions and political freedoms secure today’s rapid economic growth in the region.

Bi-Khim Hsiao, former Secretary General of CALD and Vice President of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan, spoke on the next session topic entitled “Promoting Democracy and Development: Responses from the Regions.” She explained the extensive economic and political diversity of Asian countries. She also described a new shift in the systematic balance of power in Asia evidenced by the decline of American and Japanese power and, meanwhile, the relative rise of China. In the terms of development and democracy, she recommended economic policies that would share wealth among the vast majority of the population instead of promoting income disparities and initiatives to strengthen Asian democracies because, she said, “We are still facing vulnerabilities.” Dr. Park Soon Seong, President of the Institute for Democracy and Policies of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) proceeded with another speech about Asian democracy and development from the perspective of South Korea. He spoke about the increasingly stronger relations between China and North Korea, two communist states in the region.

Dr. Neric Acosta concluded the two sessions by honing in on the importance of defining democracy and development differently for each region. The Regional Liberal Networks meeting presented an opportunity for regional leaders to share experiences and offer policy recommendations to one another. Democracy-development literature remains a highly contested theoretical topic for democracies in Asia. CALD will continue to participate in future Regional Liberal Networks meetings to exchange ideas about how to effectively foster democracy and development in the region.

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This post was written by CALD