wfn.org | Aborigines issue scathing mid-term report card to Ma administration

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

>      Taiwan Church News

>3039 Edition

>May 24~30, 2010

Aborigines issue scathing mid-term report card to Ma  administration

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

>Written by Lydia Ma

May 20 marked the midpoint of President Ma’s presidency and  many experts 
across Taiwan

used this occasion to issue their evaluation of the Ma  administration’s 
performance over the

past 2 years. Reports indicate that both KMT members and  opposition members are

dissatisfied with President Ma’s job performance over the  past 2 years.

Aborigines in Taiwan not only gave President Ma a scathing report  card but 
also issued their

own “Human Suffering Index” listing their “Top 8  Miseries”. Taiwanese 
Aborigines are mostly

Christians and most of them voted for President Ma two years ago  during the 
presidential

>election.

On May 18, more than 20 Aborigine representatives, including  Association for 
Taiwan

Indigenous Peoples' Policies Convener Prof. Hong Yi-chang and PCT  Indigenous 
Ministry

Committee Secretary Rev. Omi Wilang, called a press conference to  unveil 
Aborigine

citizens’ mid-term report card of the Ma administration.

This report card focused on “Top 8 Miseries”, including:  Loss of work rights, 
loss of right to

life, loss of right to self-determination, loss of ownership  rights, 
institutional discrimination of

Aborigines, destruction of Aborigine lands, loss of freedom of  press, and 
curtailing of rights to

interact freely with the international community.

According to Aborigine representatives, the Ma administration was  evaluated 
based on rights

accorded to Aborigines listed in the UN Declaration on Rights of  Indigenous 
Peoples, R.O.C.

Constitution, and Aboriginal Basic Act. These “8  Miseries” merely shed light 
on President

>Ma’s failings and broken promises.

Representatives berated President Ma for disregarding clauses  listed in 
Aboriginal Basic Act

in the past 2 years by failing to introduce or amend any bills  dealing with 
Aborigine work, land,

and self-autonomy rights and send it to the legislature for review  when these 
clauses clearly

>mandate the government to do so.

As for the Ma administration’s ability to govern and carry  out policies, 
Aborigines also gave it

a failing mark. They cited bungled rescue efforts during Typhoon  Morakot and 
controversies

surrounding relocation and rebuilding efforts in its aftermath as  examples of 
the

administration’s failings, as well as an 8% unemployment rate  among Aborigines 
– a figure far

>exceeding the national average.

To top these disappointments, Aborigines are still waiting for  President Ma’s 
promised

budget of NT$50 billion geared at building basic infrastructure in  Aborigine 
reservations. So

far, these election promises seem to have evaporated into thin  air, leaving 
Aborigines to fend

for themselves when it comes to protecting their property and  ensuring their 
security.

To protest the President Ma’s betrayal of more than 7 million  Aborigine votes, 
about 150

Aborigine leaders representing 9 different tribes protested in  front of the 
Control Yuan building

on May 17. Polls had indicated that as many as 90% of Aborigine  voters had 
voted for

President Ma during the presidential campaign. One can only  imagine their 
disappointment

>today.

Protestors denounced the Ma administration’s incompetence and  failure to 
fulfill its duties and

protested President Ma’s broken campaign promises about  boosting Aborigines’ 
right to self-

>autonomy.

According to reports, among the demonstrators were scholars who  had actively 
supported

President Ma during the presidential campaign. There were also  many national 
and local

government representatives who had represented opposing camps two  years ago, 
but were

now coming together to protest against the Ma administration on  that day.

>********************

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