Aboriginal lawmakers yesterday called for the redrawing of Aboriginal electoral districts to better reflect regional differences and ethnic diversity.
“Aboriginal voters elect three mountains Aboriginal lawmakers and three plains Aboriginal lawmakers, who represent all Aborigines across the country,” said People First Party Legislator Lin Cheng-er (林正二) of the Amis tribe, during an Internal Administration Committee meeting yesterday morning.
Under the system, six Aboriginal legislators represent all 500,000 Aborigines nationwide.
“So, when we run for legislative seats, it’s like running for the presidency, because our electoral district covers the entire country,” Lin said.
Such a large “electoral district” makes it difficult not only for candidates to campaign, but also to serve their constituents once elected.
“Maybe the Aboriginal electoral district could be cut into half, with one northern district and one southern district, both covering about nine to 11 counties and cities,” he said.
Lin said that among the three plains Aboriginal seats, one should be reserved for a non-Amis representative, since the Amis is the most populous plains Aboriginal tribe, and usually occupy all plains Aboriginal seats in the legislature.
“With more than 180,000 people — or two-thirds of all plains Aborigines — it’s often we Amis who occupy plains Aboriginal seats,” he said. “It’s not very fair to non-Amis tribes.”
In the legislative election in January, “all 10 plains Aboriginal candidates were Amis, because politicians from other plains Aboriginal tribes knew they would not get elected and thus gave up running,” he said.
Under the current electoral system, Aboriginal voters are divided into “mountains Aborigines” and “plains Aborigines,” and each category elects three representatives.
Although the term “mountains Aborigines” refers mainly to Aboriginal tribes living in the mountains, while “plains Aborigines” refers mainly to tribes living on the plains, the description is not entirely accurate, since the definition was based more on some complicated historical reasons.
Mountains Aboriginal tribes include the Atayal, Sediq, Truku, Bunun, Tsou, Paiwan, Rukai and Saisiyat in Miaoli County’s Nanjhuang Township (南庄) — also known as “southern Saisiyat” — and Tao, who live on Lanyu (蘭嶼), or Orchid Island, in the Pacific.
Plains Aboriginal tribes include the Amis, Sakizaya, Kavalan, Thao, Puyuma and Saisiyat in Hsinchu County’s Wufeng Township (五峰), also known as “northern Saisiyat.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chien Tung-ming (簡東明) of the Paiwan tribe agreed on the need to redraw Aboriginal electoral districts, but said dividing Aboriginal electoral districts into three — northern, central and southern — was more appropriate.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) and Central Election Commission Vice Chairman Liu I-chou (劉義周) both said that they would consider the suggestions.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty