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Nation's `rising stars' honored at special ceremony

"[I hope] this recognition will make more Aborigines realize how important the restoration of tribal names is."

Mayaw Biho, Aboriginal recipient of the award

A guitarist, a golfer, social activists and researchers in various fields were among the top 10 "rising stars" of Taiwan honored at a ceremony yesterday.

Organized by the Central News Agency (CNA), the ceremony recognized 10 individuals for the outstanding contributions each had made in their respective fields and for their potential for future development, the organizer said.

The CNA received recommendations from professionals in various fields including law and politics, economics, finance and business management, science and technology, social improvement and environmental protection, sports, arts and culture, ethnic harmony, medicine and public health.

A panel composed of 10 university presidents screened the candidates and made the final selection, the organizer said.

"We reviewed the candidates based on three principal elements," said Hwang Jeng-jye (黃政傑), president of National University of Tainan and a panel judge.

"First, we considered how difficult the challenges each contender faced; second, we analyzed how they overcame the obstacles they faced; and third, we evaluated whether there is potential for development," he said.

Hwang added that the recipients of the award will be closely monitored to see if they fulfil the third criterion.

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was invited to present the awards.

"Upon receiving this award," Lu told the recipients, "your responsibility [to society] becomes heavier."

Mayaw Biho, a recipient of the award, delivered a message to the nation's Aborigines: "[I hope] this recognition will make more Aborigines realize how important the restoration of tribal names is," said Mayaw Biho, himself an Aborigine.

For decades after World War II, Aborigines were required to give up their tribal names and adopt Chinese names.

Since the policy was abolished in 1995, only 6,000 of the nation's 460,000 Aborigines have reverted to their tribal names, Mayaw Biho said.

Name restoration is the first step in preserving Aboriginal culture, Mayaw Biho added.

Yang Yu-xing (楊玉欣), another recipient of the award, said that the award encouraged her to do more to serve patients afflicted by rare diseases.

Struggling with a rare disease herself, Yang is now an advocate for rare disease patients' rights.
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