For Immediate Release
Washington DC – December 26, 2012
Contact: (202) 547-3686
Yet Another U.S. Congressman Calls For Free And Fair Elections And Peaceful Transition Of Power
In a recent letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ), called for free, fair, and open elections in Taiwan on January 14th 2012, political neutrality by the U.S. Administration, and a peaceful transition following the election.
On December 15th 2011, Rep. Robert Andrews wrote: “As Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has rightly articulated, no party in Taiwan has a monopoly on good relations with the U.S., and our government will work closely and cooperatively with whoever is elected.”
Andrews added: “As we look forward to congratulating the people of Taiwan on the successful completion of another election, I think it is also wise to remind ourselves that the true mark of a mature and consolidated democracy is its ability to carry out a peaceful transfer of power in the event of a victory by the opposition.”
In response, FAPA President Dr. Bob Yang, Ph.D. states: “These recent letters from Members of Congress demonstrate that there is genuine and widespread concern in Congress about the need to guard against potential attempts to undermine the integrity of the ongoing election campaign and the voting process, and to interfere with a peaceful transfer of power after the election in the event of a victory by the opposition party in Taiwan.”
眾議員呼籲台灣選舉以不受干擾的方式舉行並和平轉移政權
眾議員安德魯（Robert Andrews, D-NJ） 在最近致函歐巴馬總統及柯林頓國務卿的信件中，呼籲台灣在1月14日以自由、公平及透明的方式舉行大選，政權和平轉移，及呼籲美國政府應在台灣大選保持中立。
眾議員安德魯(Robert Andrews) 於12月15日致函歐巴馬總統的信件中表示: 「東亞副助卿坎貝爾 (Kurt Campbell) 正確地闡明：台灣沒有任何一黨可壟斷與美國的友好關係，而我們的政府將會與勝選的一方密切合作。」
他補充：「當我們預備好要恭喜台灣人民再次完成另一次大選時，我認為我們必須提醒自己，成熟的民主及民主鞏固的真正表象是，當一個國家可以在反對黨獲得勝利的情況下，有著和平轉移政權的能力。」
FAPA會長楊英育回應指出：「這些最近來自美國國會的信件代表國會對防備任何企圖減損正在進行的選舉活動及選舉過程的完整性，或是在反對黨獲勝的情況下介入政權和平轉移的意圖，有著真誠且普及的關心。」
President Barack H. Obama December 15, 2011
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
Next month, Taiwan will be conducting combined national elections. On January 14, 2012, the people of Taiwan will go to the polls to choose the next leader of their country.
Remarkably, it was a mere 16 years ago that Taiwanese voters cast their ballots to directly elect a president for the first time. Persevering through decades of martial law, the Taiwanese people have managed in one generation to transform a virtual police state into a vibrant and open society, governed by free institutions and the rule of law. This serves as a beacon of hope to people in every region of the world aspiring to break free from autocracy.
The closely contested electoral campaign currently playing out in Taiwan speaks to the success of Taiwan’s democratic transition. As the United States continues engaging with our longtime friend and ally across many areas of mutual interest and cooperation, I hope you will work to ensure that the Administration projects the strictest degree of political neutrality with regard to Taiwan’s upcoming election, so as not to inadvertently influence the outcome with its words or actions. As Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has rightly articulated: “No party in Taiwan has a monopoly on good relations with the U.S., and our government will work closely and cooperatively with whoever is elected.”
We in the United States Congress will also be watching closely to make sure that the elections are carried out in a manner that is free, fair, and transparent, and that there are no attempts by actors either within or outside of Taiwan to undermine the integrity of the democratic process. We strongly support the right of the Taiwanese people to choose their own leader free from coercion.
Moreover, as we look forward to congratulating the people of Taiwan on the successful completion of another election, I think it is also wise to remind ourselves that the true mark of a mature and consolidated democracy is its ability to carry out a peaceful transfer of power in the event of a victory by the opposition. We are confident that the Taiwanese people will continue finding ways to resolve differences of opinion within the established rules of democratic discourse.
America is strengthened when the values of our founding fathers are more prevalent around the world. We commend the people of Taiwan for their democratic spirit, and we wish them the best as they prepare to take this next step on the path toward perfecting a democratic consensus about the future of their country.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely yours,
ROBERT ANDREWS
Member of Congress
