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.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS