wfn.org | New policy threatens Aborigine autonomy and survival

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3022 Edition

>January 25~31, 2010

New policy threatens Aborigine autonomy and survival

Reported by Li Hsin-ren, Chen Wei-jian, Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

For Aborigines in Taiwan, the recently passed Local Government Act  represented, yet again,

a breach of trust by the Ma administration and an about-face on  campaign promises made to

Aborigines. Under this new act, the soon-to-be-merged counties and  cities of Kaohsiung,

Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei will have their elected village and  township mayors replaced by

appointed “district chiefs” and their villages and  townships demoted to “districts”, leaving

many Aborigine communities at risk of having their autonomy  compromised. Aborigines are

decrying the KMT government’s autocratic way of governing and  President Ma’s indifference

>and betrayal.

On January 18, the day the legislation passed, Aborigines gathered  outside the Legislative

Yuan to protest and issue four declarations, including: Opposition  to the loss of autonomy,

opposition to the demotion of Aborigine townships and appointment  of township leaders in

place of democratically elected leaders, return to the rights  accorded by Aboriginal Basic Act,

and fulfillment of Ma’s election promises to Aborigines,  which included self-rule pilot models.

Local Government Act will especially affect places like Namasiya,  Heping, Taoyuan, and other

Aborigine villages, making many Aborigine pastors and elders are  wary of what the future may

hold for Aborigine people. According to one pastor serving in  Atayal Presbytery in Taipei

County, he supports replacing elected township leaders with  appointed leaders because

many elected officials are corrupt. However, if township advisers  and “district chiefs” are both

appointed, there will likely be underrepresentation of Aborigines  and conflict of interests

>among appointed officials.

In Heping Township in Taichung County, one-third of the population  is Aborigine. Former

township mayor and local PCT church elder Lin Wen-sheng said he  still prefers having elected

local officials instead of appointed ones because appointed  officials often represent the party

in power at the national level instead of the residents they  serve. Furthermore, many

agricultural and farming areas in Taichung have special needs that  only a native would

>understand.

Rev. Umas of Taoyuan Township in Namasiya said appointing local  leaders risks damaging

the social fabric of Aborigine society because Aborigine  traditions and lifestyles revolve

around deciding and doing things together as a community. It  emphasizes community

involvement as a means for people to maintain a sense of  attachment to each other, but

appointed leaders would abolish democracy, endanger  Aborigines’ welfare, and threaten

>Aborigine traditions.

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