When Chen Chien-nien (
"Chen has long carried a strong sense of mission in his work for the Aborigines," said Hsu Ming-yuan (徐明淵), a former Taitung County deputy commissioner and Chen's colleague for the past eight years. "I am confident he will perform admirably as the Cabinet's chairman for the Council of Aboriginal Affairs."
Chen, of the Puyuma tribe and the first Aborigine ever to hold the post of county commissioner, accomplished much as Taitung County commissioner during his two-term tenure from 1993 to 2001.
"Unlike most other city and county commissioners, who focus more on city planning and construction, Chen paid tremendous attention to ethnic integration, cultural development and ecological preservation," Hsu said
Chen's work did not go unnoticed. In 1999, Global View Magazine recognized Taitung County's local government as number one in the nation for environmental friendliness, education and cultural issues.
Last year, under Chen's direction, Taitung County was again awarded honors when Health Magazine recognized Taitung County as the nation's healthiest city.
The same year, Chen had higher approval ratings than commissioners in Keelung City, Ilan County and Hualien County, according to a poll conducted by Shih Hsin University.
Commenting on Chen's governing style, Hsu said "Chen is a detail-oriented, hard-working individual."
"There is no doubt about Chen's integrity," Hsu said. "Chen is a straight-shooter."
Hsu added that by being somewhat of a perfectionist, "sometimes Chen puts too much pressure on himself and the people around him."
After stepping down from the post of county commissioner last year, Chen was nominated by the KMT and won a seat as a legislator-at-large in last month's election.
However, in accordance with the Constitution, Chen will relinquish the legislative seat after taking up his Cabinet post.
Since the KMT has prohibited party members from joining the Cabinet without its consent, Chen faces expulsion by the party's Discipline and Evaluation Committee.
Many who are familiar with Chen say that his decision to join the Cabinet was not made out of a desire for personal gain, but to work on behalf of the nation's native people.
Chen once said of himself that, "I am earnest about returning to the nation's Aborigines the respect, confidence and place in society they so richly deserve."
"During Chen's tenure as Taitung County Commissioner, he fought relentlessly to enhance the welfare of Aborigines," said Hsu.
"So he was often criticized for the extraordinary attention he paid to Aboriginal issues.
"By accepting the position as the council's chairman, it is an opportunity for Chen to devote himself wholeheartedly to an issue he cares about deeply -- the well-being of Aborigines."
Payen Tawu -- an Atayal and an outgoing DPP legislator -- echoed Hsu's remarks.
"Chen's efforts in Aboriginal affairs during his tenure in Taitung were truly remarkable," Tawu said.
"However, I think Chen would do an even better job if he were to follow his own conscience more and listen to his political party less," Tawu added.
"But I join with those around the country who hope that Chen will continue to fight for the welfare of Aborigines when he ascends to the Cabinet by implementing programs to enhance the well-being of the Aboriginal people."
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS