【明報專訊】After decades of struggles, the Taiwanese's dream of democracy came true today in 1996, when their president was democratically elected for the first time.

1. Taiwan's "white terror" period

Taiwan was ceded to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki (《馬關條約》) by the Qing government following its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (甲午戰爭). After the Second World War had ended, the treaty was nullified (廢除), and Taiwan returned to Chinese control.

The Taiwanese's striving for democracy began in the Japanese colonial era, when the natives of the island demanded equal rights with their Japanese rulers. The Chinese Nationalist government (國民黨政府) , led by President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), ruled the island with an iron fist. On 28 February 1947, a mass protest was brutally suppressed. Historians believe several ten thousand people were then killed.

A curfew (宵禁) had been in force in Taiwan since 1949. During what is called Taiwan's period of "white terror" (白色恐怖), the freedom of speech and that of the press were greatly restricted. That led to protests like the Formosa Magazine incident (美麗島事件).

During the reign of Chiang and that of his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), elections were held, but they were far from democratic. The president of Taiwan was elected not by the people, but by the members of the National Assembly (國民大會), who were elected in 1947 — before Chiang fled to Taiwan. Most of them represented constituencies on the mainland, and they had held on to their seats for decades. Local elections, on the other hand, were rife with corruption and irregularities.

2. Taiwan's democratisation

President Chiang Ching-kuo lifted the 38-year-long curfew in 1987, marking the beginning of Taiwan's transformation into a democracy. The next year Chiang died. He was succeeded by his deputy Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), one of the most important people in Taiwan's democratisation.

Born in the Japanese colonial era, Lee was a student in agriculture. He received his doctorate from the prestigious Cornell University (康奈爾大學) in the US. After he had returned to Taiwan, he joined the government and climbed up the political ladder rapidly.

Lee became president in 1988 amid growing calls to democratise Taiwan, to which he responded with reforms. He forced lifetime members of the National Assembly to retire in 1991, one year after the Wild Lily student movement (野百合學運) had broken out. The next year saw the first full elections to the National Assembly. It gradually lost its significance. In 2005, it became defunct, and its functions were assigned to the Legislative Yuan (立法院). Lee further lifted restrictions on the freedom of the press and that of speech.

But the most important reform Lee spearheaded (帶頭推展) was the direct election of the president and the vice president. Because of his effort, that took place in 1996. Despite angry reactions from Beijing, which conducted a series of military drills right until polling day, the election had a voter turnout of 76.04%. Lee and Lien Chan (連戰), his running mate, were elected as Taiwan President and Vice President.

Beijing regards Lee as a national traitor (叛國者). From China's perspective, Lee put into the hands of Taiwan people the power to choose their future. This has greatly hindered (妨礙) the reunification of the two sides.