An American citizen has challenged and won an appeal against a regulation that he says unfairly discriminates against foreigners in Taiwan.
On May 18, Richard Hartzell (
He viewed his victory as not only a personal gain, but one that could help open the door for other foreigners who would like to avoid the hassle of having to renew their driver's license every year.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
After months of struggling against regulations set down by the Motor Vehicle Supervision Department, Hartzell received his long-awaited six-year driver's license last Thursday.
It took Hartzell several months to appeal to Taipei City's Government's Commission for Examining Petitions and Appeals (
Hartzell said he has lived in Taiwan for more than 25 years and until now, has had to renew his license every year. According to existing regulations, a driver's license will expire with an alien resident certificate, which has to be renewed annually.
"There is no grounds to have such a restriction on the issuance of driver's licenses," said Hartzell. "Based on the principle of international mutual benefits, foreign residents in Taiwan should enjoy the same right as locals, holding a driver's license which lasts six years."
Despite having battled long and hard for a license on par with that of Taiwanese residents, he said that he was not a big fan of driving in Taipei.
"I much prefer to use public transportation. It is a big hassle in Taipei to find parking spaces and there are always worries about the car getting towed away," he said.
"My point is that the government should make life easier for people by making the entire system less complicated. In my case, that means I shouldn't have to worry about a document that expires every year."
Without doubt, Hartzell is not the only foreigner in Taiwan who feels frustrated about regulations imposed on them that make their stay here unpleasant.
The key issue is that most foreign residents do not know where and how to voice their discontent.
"Some limitations are based on completely outmoded regulations, which public officials often abide by simply because they can not be bothered to make changes," said Hartzell.
Such regulations were just the tip of the iceberg, Hartzell said.
"Though the Taiwanese government says it favors globalization and internationalization, many Taiwanese regulations often result in the exact opposite. My intention is to disclose this discord and open the door to discussions on this kind of irrational legislation in Taiwan," he said.
Hartzell recalled an endeavor in July of 1994 when he collaborated with other foreign residents to revise a Taiwanese ordinance that prohibited children who held foreign passports from attending public schools here.
"There was no point to protest to school principals. We were fully aware that the more pragmatic measure was to go through legal channels to make fundamental changes to the entire system," Hartzell said.
The result proved worthwhile, he said. The regulation was abolished after their appeals, and since then, children born to foreign parents have been entitled to be admitted to public schools in Taiwan.
Hartzell said his underlying point was that people should stand up to unfair regulations. "You can't just submit to senseless rules. People should clearly know about and safeguard their rights," Hartzell said.
"It is a common misconception that civilians and the government have opposite agendas," he said, "Instead, the two sides ought to work together to make Taiwan a more comfortable living environment, particularly for foreigners; because we all know Taiwan is in need of friendship on the international level."
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from