In 2014, Taiwan's government's approval rating was less than 10%. Public discontent escalated into the Sunflower Movement, when students occupied the legislature to protest a proposed trade deal with China. Three weeks later, the students' demands were met. Ten years later, this is seen as a turning point for Taiwanese democracy.
One group that emerged from this movement is g0v (pronounced “gov zero”), a civic technology collaborative that includes well-known hacker Audrey Tang, who set out to build vTaiwan, a virtual platform for democratic deliberation. The “v” stands for “virtual,” but also for “vulnerable,” Tang says. Born with a heart condition that nearly killed her as a child, she went on to become Taiwan's first transgender minister, and she draws parallels between the fragility of her life and that of democracy.
Tang was invited to join the government in 2016 and began implementing her vision of “radical transparency,” starting with vTaiwan. When the first COVID-19 cases were announced in mainland China in late 2019, she became Taiwan's central figure in the government's response as digital minister. By 2022, Taiwan had won global praise for its response to the pandemic, and Tang was given her own ministry, becoming the country's first digital minister. In her new book, DiversityShe argues that Taiwan, often seen as a potential flashpoint for future global conflict, is now a thriving democracy that has much to teach the world.
Source: www.newscientist.com
