There has been much discussion about upgrading counties and cities, such as forming a “greater Hsinchu.” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has convened senior party and government officials to discuss the issue, and a motion has been proposed in the Legislative Yuan for handling amendments to the Local Government Act (地方制度法).
Taiwan is divided into three social tiers: The six special municipalities are allocated 62.76 percent of the central government’s revenue of more than NT$300 billion (US$10.87 billion), except for special budgets, while 24 percent goes to the 16 counties and provincial cities, and 8.7 percent to the nation’s 198 townships and county-administered cities.
I lived for more than 10 years in Taipei, where I enjoyed Taiwan’s convenient transportation, healthcare, public facilities and administrative efficiency. After returning to the south to serve as a local government head, I became aware of the huge disparity in resources.
There are great differences in budget allocation, administrative efficiency, overlapping laws and regulations, integration of regional governance, and even the restraints imposed by one level of government on another, which also makes local governing more difficult.
In 2020, the National Development Council included Pingtung County’s Fangliao Township (枋寮) among 134 townships prioritized for local revitalization because of its aging population and low birthrate. As mayor of Fangliao, I worked to make it the first township in the country to submit a revitalization plan.
With guidance from National Pingtung University, Fangliao’s plan was given the highest central government budget of any township in Pingtung County. The Fangliao Township Office’s administrative team was at first doubtful, but eventually completed the process, and the outcome made it all worthwhile.
However, many other township offices gave up halfway through because they had too few resources and staff, which often put leaders who were eager to make an effort in an impossible position.
People might say that rural townships should look like what they are. Indeed, each region has a unique background and style of development, but this should not be an excuse for the gap between cities and rural areas.
While townships would not expect to have the same level of development as special municipalities, there should not be “one country, two systems,” at least in terms of infrastructure. People should not be treated as second or third-class citizens because of where they live.
It is good that the public has opened the door to discussion regarding the act, but as the mayor of a rural township, I should take the bold step at this critical moment of discussing not only the governance system, but also a range of issues such as the Local Government Act (地方制度法), administrative subdivisions and the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法).
People have expressed various views about the system, such as suggesting that it be based on the eight-prefecture model instituted in 1920 during the Japanese colonial period, while others have suggested expanding and integrating the scope of second and third-tier elected administrative districts, and giving more authority to local self-governance.
In any case, now is a good opportunity for reform. The legal amendment process will hopefully be thoughtful and generate reasonable, rational proposals that can make “one island, one destiny” more than just a slogan.
Archer Chen is mayor of Fangliao Township in Pingtung County.
Translated by Julian Clegg
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under