Land rights
Third, Taiwan requires land rights legislation which recognizes customary aboriginal land claims. The importance of this initiative to aborigines can't be overstated.
Other areas requiring consideration include aboriginal employment, welfare, and possibly a "basic law" (基本法) or "treaty" between Taiwan's indigenous people and the country's Taiwanese majority.
To people familiar with the difficulties common among indigenous peoples around the world, none of these issues are remarkable. Furthermore, their implementation would be relatively inexpensive in terms of Taiwan's government budget.
Yet, their impact on Taiwan's reputation for social justice would be great. Such "win-win" arrangements could go far toward history judging President Chen Shui-bian's "cross-party coalition for national stability" well.
Bruce Jacobs is professor of Asian languages and studies and director of the Taiwan Research Unit at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is contributing daily comment for the Taipei Times during the election campaign.
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