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Aborigines slam draft autonomy act
VOTESEEKING: The Association of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies said that
the Cabinet’s proposal is disrespectful, unconsitutional and violates the
Aboriginal Basic Act
By Hsieh Wen-hua
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Sep 22, 2010, Page 3
Although the Executive Yuan appears likely to approve a draft
of the Aboriginal autonomy act tomorrow, indigenous groups yesterday criticized
the bill as a political ploy aimed at winning Aboriginal votes in the run-up to
the November special municipality elections.
The draft says Aborigines could establish autonomous governments in their
autonomous regions if half of the region’s Aborigines launch such an initiative
with local offices in villages, towns and cities.
However, the offices must obtain the backing of a meeting of tribal
representatives and the respective city or township councils to do so.
The establishment of autonomous regions would also have to be approved by the
Executive Yuan.
The Association of Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies said the bill
disrespected the will of Aborigines and violated the Constitution and Aboriginal
Basic Act (原住民基本法).
As members of each Aborigine tribe could be scattered around the nation, it
would be difficult to meet the requirement stipulated in the bill, the
association said.
During former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, the relationship
between the government and Aborigines was defined as one of state-to-state, the
association said.
However, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has attempted to make the
governments of Aboriginal autonomous regions legal subordinates to the Republic
of China.
The association urged the administration to model its laws on Canada, the US and
the UK and allow each Aboriginal tribe to propose its own version and negotiate
with the administration.
Icyang Parod, former vice chairman of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, said it
would be difficult for village, town and city offices to obtain the consent of
the representative congress because of the small number of Aboriginal
representatives.
Taking the area that will become Sinbei municipality as an example, Icyan said
there were only four Aboriginal representatives on the Taipei County Council, or
6 percent of the total number.
Even Amis, who account for about one-third of the Aboriginal population, would
have difficulty meeting the requirement because most of them lived on the east
coast around Taitung and Hualien and occupy fewer seats than non-Aborigines on
the local councils, he said.
Describing the bill as an empty shell, Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), director of the
College of Indigenous Studies at National Dong Hwa University in Hualien, said
he wondered whether the central government expected autonomous regions to run
their businesses without funds from the central government and without the right
to their own land.
Shih said the bill was vague about the boundaries of autonomous regions, some of
which would overlap with existing administrative areas.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩), an Aborigine, said the
bill lacked money, power and land, and was nothing but a “hurriedly written
essay” put together before the November elections.
“How pathetic, Aborigines are deceived every time when there is an election,”
she said.
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