Before President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May last year, he made a lot of promises to the nation’s Aborigines, but one year later a number of people, including lawmakers and Aboriginal groups, are disappointed with the government’s performance on Aboriginal issues.
Saying that full-scale Aboriginal autonomy was too complicated an issue, Ma promised that his government would grant autonomy to Aborigines on a trial basis to iron out problems if they appeared.
Having seen the destruction typhoons and mudslides caused Aboriginal homes and farm roads connecting far-flung Aboriginal communities to the outside world, Ma promised that the new government would spend NT$50 billion (US$1.5 billion) over the course of four years to improve infrastructure in Aboriginal regions including roads, bridges, embankments, water and electricity facilities and to improve the fire-fighting capacity of remote communities. Ma promised in his Aboriginal policy White Paper that his government would survey communities at risk of mudslides and resettle them to safer areas.
Everything sounded perfect. Hence, 90 percent of the nation’s Aborigines voted for Ma, Aboriginal Alliance for the Defense of the Aboriginal Basic Act (捍衛原基法大聯盟) secretary-general Chen Cheng-tsung (陳政宗) said.
“We Aborigines expected transitional justice for the injustice we’ve suffered throughout history. We expected policies that would promote ethnic equality and we expected smooth implementation of Aboriginal policies [once Ma took office],” Chen told a news conference earlier this month. “But we went from having high expectations to being greatly disappointed.”
“The past year has proven one thing — there is still no justice for Aborigines,” he said.
Chen said there has been no progress at all for the bills on Aboriginal autonomy and Aboriginal traditional domains — both were submitted for legislative review by the previous Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
“Council of Indigenous Peoples [CIP] Minister Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香) said when she presented her policy agenda to the Internal Administration Committee meeting that there was still much dispute between Aborigines and non-Aborigines on autonomy bills,” Chen said. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but the legislative process [for autonomy] has been halted ever since.”
DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) of the Puyuma tribe panned the CIP for not even having started executing the “NT$50 billion infrastructure” policy that Ma promised.
“The CIP only asked for a total budget of NT$8.8 billion, which would not add up to NT$50 billion even if it’s multiplied by four,” she said.
The CIP rebutted Chen Ying’s statement by providing a list titled “infrastructure development project for Aboriginal regions” for this year that included budgets from several government institutions such as the CIP itself, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC), the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Department of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Council of Sports Affairs that would add up to NT$12.6 billion.
But Chen Ying said those budgets do not apply.
“How could you include budgets for administrative costs in six ministries, for a Shimen Reservoir renovation project, for education and for promoting sports as part of the NT$50 billion infrastructure plan?” she asked. “Ma specifically promised — and it’s written in his Aboriginal policy White Paper — that the NT$50 billion project is about improving roads, bridges, water and electricity and fire-fighting capacity.”
Chen Ying wasn’t the only person with that question.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) own Aboriginal legislators Chien Tung-ming (簡東明) of the Paiwan tribe, Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟) of the Amis tribe and People First Party Legislator Lin Cheng-er (林正二) of the Amis tribe, agreed with Chen Ying and worked with her to draft a bill that would turn Ma’s NT$50 billion infrastructure policy promise into a legally binding special piece of legislation.
KMT Legislator Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) of the Sediq tribe sighed when asked by the Taipei Times for his thoughts on Chang’s performance in the past year.
“I would give her a failing grade,” he said. “I understand that some issues, like autonomy, may be a bit complicated and controversial, but she should at least try to start on the infrastructure projects.”
Looking into some of the reasons that many policies and projects have been delayed, Association for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies board member Yapasuyongu e’ Akuyana agreed with Kung.
“Instead of taking the initiative in coordinating between different government agencies for the welfare of the nation’s Aborigines, the CIP usually passes the buck,” he said.
For example, when Aborigines asked the CIP about repairing roads in Aboriginal regions, “the CIP would say it’s the MOTC or the Council of Agriculture’s job,” he said
“When we asked the CIP about improving fire-fighting capacity in remote Aboriginal villages, the CIP wanted us to talk to the Forestry Bureau or the National Fire Agency,” he said.
However, when the Aborigines turned to other agencies, they would only be referred back to the CIP, Akuyana said.
“I feel that we Aborigines are left alone, with no one to back us up even though there’s the CIP,” he said.
Kung and Chen Cheng-tsung both said they had the feelings that the CIP, under Chang’s leadership, is not siding with the Aborigines.
“Amendments to the Local Government Act [地方制度法] is just one of the many, many examples,” Kung said.
Amendments to the law, submitted by the Cabinet and passed by the legislature, would allow cities to merge with counties and upgrade their administrative status together as an expanded city.
However, the amended law doesn’t say anything about what would happen to Aboriginal townships when they are merged and become districts in cities.
At the moment, the law stipulates that only Aborigines may run for Aboriginal township mayors. However, city district chiefs are appointed by mayors without restriction.
“It’s sad that the CIP didn’t raise the issue at Cabinet meetings,” Kung said.
The CIP rebutted the accusations through a press release, saying that it never stopped defending Aborigines and that it would fulfill Ma’s Aboriginal policy objectives “as soon the necessary administrative process is completed.”
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