Taiwan is a well-functioning democracy: Freedom House

Congratulations. From what I know yes Taiwan can't be proud especially so when just not that many decades away it was under authoritarian rule. By contrast countries such as Malaysia and even Singapore have much to desire despite having been named as democratic countries. Elections in those countries are merely a rubber stamping for the power to be which remain entrenched for the benefit of a few privileged ones. It saddens me to realize how merely having the institution of democracy can mean nothing if the people living under it do not fight to preserve it values. Good on Taiwan and its people must strive at all costs to keep for the future generations. Beware for if your people are not watchful there are those ever wanting to take these priceless rights away.

While it is true Taiwan ranked as a free country, it did NOT achieve the same ratings as the United States and most Western European democracies. Most of them received scores of '1' for both political rights and civil liberties. Taiwan's civil liberties score is LOWER than the US and most western European states, a score that was a '1' when Chen Shui bian was president.

@Upwell - actually, neither Malaysia nor Singapore are rated as electoral democracies in the Freedom House report.