Several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday said that they support legal recognition of the Siraya Aborigines (西拉雅族) and the need to protect their right to political representation, urging other lawmakers to approve a draft amendment to the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples (原住民身分法).
Siraya elders and activist were joined by pastors and officials of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) from southern Taiwan at a news conference convened by DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) yesterday morning, where they urged all political parties to pass the proposed amendment.
The Siraya from Tainan, alongside other groups of Pingpu, or lowland Aborigines, have fought for legal recognition as indigenous people for several decades, but this had not been achieved, as the political process has not yet been completed.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Granting them indigenous people status is the right thing to do, because Taiwan is a multi-ethnic society and the government can no longer deny their existence as it did in the past,” Lin said, adding that the rights of ethnic minorities rights should be protected in order to achieve justice and social equality.
According to Tainan Siraya Culture Association secretary-general Uma Talavan (萬淑娟), her people and other Pingpu groups remain unrecognized by the government, denied of any legal status, and excluded from protection by the Council of Indigenous Peoples, despite an Executive Yuan announcement in August that it would add a “Pingpu” category to the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples.
“[The delay] is because amendments need to get through three readings at the legislature, but Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] legislators have blocked this amendment, using stalling tactics such as requiring more review or public hearings,” Uma Talavan said.
Lin said he would push for the amendment, which would grant the right of political representation and participation to the Siraya and other Pingpu groups, to be passed, so that they could elect their own legislators and councilors at the county and city levels.
“It is important for ethnic minorities to have representation in local governments and in the legislature so that they can speak up on their own behalf and voice their aspirations,” Lin added.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) also voiced his support for the amendment.
As Wang’s mother came from Tainan’s Madou District (麻豆), he also belongs to the Siraya people, as the area was a prominent Siraya cultural and population center in pre-colonial times, he said.
“How can we deny the existence of our Siraya ancestors and our Siraya cultural traditions?” Wang asked.
“Our society can no longer refuse to acknowledge their existence, as Siraya people have expressed clearly that they identify themselves as such and have struggled past many political roadblocks. It is only right and just to grant them this dignity and respect,” Wang said.
A significant proportion of the population in southern Taiwan is of Siraya ethnicity, including in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said, adding that for too long, governments had chosen to ignore their existence and marginalize them in society.
“However, things are changing and the DPP government is working to achieve justice and equality for all ethnic groups, and to ensure the protection of their rights,” Chao said. “The time is ripe, as we have Premier William Lai (賴清德) heading up the Cabinet, who has been instrumental in pushing for recognition of the Siraya people when he was Tainan mayor.”
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