Wed, Jun 07, 2000 page2

• Long march to autonomy

  LAND RIGHTS Following the launch of their appeal for limited independence, Aboriginal activists have been seeking further support both at home and internationally

  • By Liu Shao-hua / STAFF REPORTER
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  Orchid Island, with its isolation and unique culture, has been widely considered an ideal place to implement Aboriginal autonomy -- but how and if this should be brought about has not been worked out.

  Some Aborigines think the autonomy issue is actually better understood in Taiwan than it is on Orchid Island, where a pilot scheme for autonomy has been mooted.

  "Only intellectuals know about this matter," said Siamen Sarsoyan (夏曼*沙索藍), chairman of the Orchid Island Township Assembly.

  On May 24, a group of 20 campaigners from the island, led by Taitung County Councilor Shyman Faagien (郭建平), flew to Taipei to appeal for autonomy from the national government.

  "The government should propose a timetable for our autonomy by 2004," they said.

  Many Orchid Islanders knew of the event and heard of the autonomy issue for the first time through cable TV broadcasts, instead of being told beforehand or through the local newspapers.

  Understanding of the issue became more widespread when the new chairman of the Council of Aboriginal Affairs, Yohani Isqaqavut (尤哈尼), visited Orchid Island on June 3. At a public meeting Yohani told local residents that, "If aboriginal autonomy is to be accomplished during my four-year term, it will be on Orchid Island."

  Yohani said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had made an election campaign promise to grant Aborigines autonomy. Aborigines on Orchid Island were the first to request autonomy.

  There is an expectation that Orchid Island could therefore be the first autonomous region for Aborigines, Yahani said, but "An overwhelming consensus among the islanders is a prerequisite for autonomy," he said.

  Si Mangpang (希*滿棒), a female ethnographer on the island, said,"Everyone's interpretation over what autonomy entails is different. It's a long road to reach consensus."

  Moreover, "the autonomy issue is like an affair of state and we women are never invited to participate in the discussion," she said.

  Another middle-aged woman expressed similar discontent. "It's always the same people who talk about the issue. Most people here don't know much about it all," she said. "We have relied on support from the outside for a long time. Orchid Island never has been self-reliant. How can we ask for autonomy right now?"

  But women are not the only ones to have expressed their doubts about autonomy.

  Many men, regardless of their age or occupation, also expressed their doubts about autonomy. Generally, islanders worry most about what will happen to the levels of central government support if the island is to become autonomous.

  Yohani said, "An autonomous region can enjoy assistance and resources from the government, but it is also obligated to follow the state's regulations."

  But what autonomy will actually mean for the island is still to be determined.

  "Before the Japanese [colonialists] came [over 100 years ago], we used to live freely on our own, no one controlled us," an island elder said when asked what autonomy was. This is a common answer given by many of the people on the island.

  "Taiwan is inexperienced in Aboriginal autonomy. We are not perfectly sure if it works," said Siamen Ngarai (張海嶼), a pastor and Aboriginal rights activist.

  Campaigners said the reason why the island proclaimed its desire to be autonomous on May 24, right after the inauguration, was to attract more media attention.

  "May 20 was the presidential inauguration and there were many international reporters gathering in Taipei," said campaigner Siaman Javotong (王榮基), "We expected to make autonomy an international issue."

  "The first stage is to voice our needs. Discussion over the content of autonomy is the next stage," he said.
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