Taiwan's national identification card system is a carryover from the system used by the Japanese colonial government, which divided communities into units virtually along military lines. The categorization of each unit would be detailed in the household registration certificate. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) retained this system because of its effectiveness in maintaining a high level of control over the citizenry, especially in regards to the registration of the "ancestral home." Although the system has been considerably simplified since then, the distinctions, especially between non-Mainlander and Mainlander, continue to exist.
The ID card that every Taiwanese carries was in fact not issued until 1947, the year that also marked the beginning of the White Terror. Since then, the ID card has served the function of a police record sheet, and the law requires that it be carried at all times.
Since it was first issued, the ID card has been reissued on two occasions to bring it into line with social changes and advances in technology, and its appearance has been changed three times. To prevent counterfeiting, the government issued guidelines for the production and issuance of ID cards in 1993, further tightening its control over the population.
Although the government has established safeguards, the requirement that ID cards store fingerprint data presents a new challenge to Taiwan, which, after all, claims that it is a country built on the idea of human rights.
The replacement of the new ID card was slated for July, but because of the handing down of Interpretation No. 599 by the Council of Grand Justices -- on whether fingerprint data violated human rights -- implementation has been postponed.
Given the widespread counterfeiting of IDs, a universal replacement of ID cards is a matter of urgency. As a result, the Cabinet has promised that if the Legislative Yuan insists all citizens (over the age of 14) submit a full set of fingerprints when applying for a card, it would support the legislature's position.
We should also dismiss the supposedly clear relationship between ID replacement and public order, because if we look at the history of the ID card since 1956, we see that it has changed appearance three times. But, on each occasion, criminals have managed to outwit authorities.
Therefore, in our rather inept efforts to make the ID card more effective through the use of technology, we should be wary of introducing a cure that is more vicious than the disease. This is especially the case as the government's management information systems have never been able to keep pace with criminal groups.
Therefore, even if fingerprint data for the ID card helps reduce crime, the government should also make an assessment of other costs, and look into the problem of civic education.
Taiwan is a quasi-capitalist society with a plentiful supply of corruption, fraud and exploitation. But it is virtue, love and compassion that are the characteristics that will make our nation grow. Taiwan and South Korea, who have comprehensive national identification systems, have them simply because they were formerly colonized by Japan. So why are they lagging behind Japan in civic virtue and public order?
No matter how "sacred" we regard the the national ID card, it remains a symbol of Taiwan's status as a colonial culture. Moreover, the bureaucratic culture which recognizes permits and not people, is also at the root of much crime in this country. It is also a way in which government officials can shirk responsibility. Taiwan must escape from under the shadow of an oppressive bureaucratic culture and strengthen the public's moral education. Only in this way can Taiwanese find their own way.
Chen Ming-chao is head of the Household Registration Office in Tayuan Township, Taoyuan County.
TRANSLATED BY LIN YA-TI
As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reach the point of confidence that they can start and win a war to destroy the democratic culture on Taiwan, any future decision to do so may likely be directly affected by the CCP’s ability to promote wars on the Korean Peninsula, in Europe, or, as most recently, on the Indian subcontinent. It stands to reason that the Trump Administration’s success early on May 10 to convince India and Pakistan to deescalate their four-day conventional military conflict, assessed to be close to a nuclear weapons exchange, also served to
The recent aerial clash between Pakistan and India offers a glimpse of how China is narrowing the gap in military airpower with the US. It is a warning not just for Washington, but for Taipei, too. Claims from both sides remain contested, but a broader picture is emerging among experts who track China’s air force and fighter jet development: Beijing’s defense systems are growing increasingly credible. Pakistan said its deployment of Chinese-manufactured J-10C fighters downed multiple Indian aircraft, although New Delhi denies this. There are caveats: Even if Islamabad’s claims are accurate, Beijing’s equipment does not offer a direct comparison
After India’s punitive precision strikes targeting what New Delhi called nine terrorist sites inside Pakistan, reactions poured in from governments around the world. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement on May 10, opposing terrorism and expressing concern about the growing tensions between India and Pakistan. The statement noticeably expressed support for the Indian government’s right to maintain its national security and act against terrorists. The ministry said that it “works closely with democratic partners worldwide in staunch opposition to international terrorism” and expressed “firm support for all legitimate and necessary actions taken by the government of India
Taiwan aims to elevate its strategic position in supply chains by becoming an artificial intelligence (AI) hub for Nvidia Corp, providing everything from advanced chips and components to servers, in an attempt to edge out its closest rival in the region, South Korea. Taiwan’s importance in the AI ecosystem was clearly reflected in three major announcements Nvidia made during this year’s Computex trade show in Taipei. First, the US company’s number of partners in Taiwan would surge to 122 this year, from 34 last year, according to a slide shown during CEO Jensen Huang’s (黃仁勳) keynote speech on Monday last week.
RSS