Sun, Aug 31, 2003 page2

• Officials defend rights draft bill

  AUTONOMY The proposed legislation, once passed by the legislature, will allow Aboriginal people to govern themselves without being spoon-fed by the government

  • By Debby Wu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Government officials and other experts yesterday defended the draft bill for the establishment of an Aboriginal autonomous region and attempted to remove public doubt about the future autonomy of the Aboriginal people.

  The Cabinet passed the draft bill with its 15 articles this June and it has been submitted to the legislature for review. However, the Council of Indigenous People at first proposed a draft with 104 articles but this was cut down to 15, which raised many doubts among the Aborigines.

  Some people were questioning how autonomy could be established with such a small number of articles giving only a general direction, without specifying details of governance.

  Minister without Portfolio Chen Chi-nan (陳其南) pointed out that with only a few articles, there would be few controversies and it would be easier for the law to get passed in the legislature. But he said that the essence of autonomy meant that the Aborigines could make their own regulations instead of being spoon-fed by the government.

  "If we really had 100 articles, it would have meant the Aborigines would not need to work on the regulations. However, autonomy should mean thinking about and doing things by oneself, instead of taking orders from, and being led by, the government," Chen said.

  "Although there are 15 articles in the law, they all say the same thing: Aborigines can make their own regulations. Autonomy is about starting from within, standing up by yourself and the right to build your own future."

  Chen made the statement during a seminar on autonomy for local Aboriginal ethnic groups.

  Meanwhile, the public has also raised the question of whether the Aboriginal people are trying to separate from Taiwan by seeking autonomy, but experts vehemently denied this scenario.

  Pu Chung-cheng (浦忠成), deputy chairman of the Council of Indigenous People, said that the design of the autonomous system would fit within the national framework.

  "More than 98 percent of Taiwanese society is non-Aboriginal, and the plans for the Aboriginal people are heavily dependent on this 98 percent's level of tolerance. Whether the law on autonomy will be passed in the legislature depends on their will," Pu said.

  "Autonomy is the pursuit of self-determination, but we are willing to coexist with other ethnic groups in Taiwan. This is not a separatist movement, but rather the pursuit of greater autonomy," said Chang Pei-lun (張培倫), an assistant professor in Fo Kuang University's department of philosophy.

  Chang said that autonomy was necessary for the Aboriginal people because if they had no special protection, their cultures would easily be assimilated into the dominant Han culture.

  "With autonomy we may be taking away a few social resources from the Han people, but even with this loss, the Han culture would remain where it is without experiencing any problems. However, without those resources, the Aboriginal cultures would definitely perish," Chang said.
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