Taiwan's burgeoning democracy has been undergoing a harsh trial and its survival will be of major importance to other countries pursuing democratization, scholars said yesterday in a seminar held in Washington, D.C.

Speaking at a seminar sponsored by Georgetown University on the significance of Taiwan's democracy to China and the United States, GTU professor Nancy Bernkopt Tucker voiced her concern about the present situation in Taiwan over the result of the March 20 presidential election.

As a democratic nation, Taiwan has full responsibility for keeping its democracy developing smoothly, not only for the country itself but also to serve as a textbook model for the many other countries seeking democratization, Tucker said.

At a time when Taiwan's democracy is being subject to a harsh test, all parties concerned should do their best to protect the country's democratic system, she said.

Richard Bush, a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, the organization responsible for managing U.S ties with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries, urged the leaders of the opposition camp and the ruling party to forge a common ground in the face of a polarized Taiwan society.

Since the result of the election showed that support for each presidential candidate was virtually the same, Bush called on both sides to meditate on whether Taiwan society should be reunited or split.

GTU professor Robert Sutter said that he feels deep sorrow for a polarized society in Taiwan. He said that things will change only when the people in Taiwan are tired of this situation and when the country is fully ruled by law and order. Sutter went on to say that he is somewhat downbeat upset about the possibility of a reunited Taiwan because no signs of this were evident among the people.