The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday said that it would propose a bill to determine seven national holidays to replace those canceled with the implementation of the 40-hour workweek policy and make Aug. 1, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a national holiday.
The seven canceled national holidays were Jan. 2, Youth Day on March 29, Teachers’ Day on Sept. 28, Taiwan Retrocession Day on Oct. 25, former president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) birthday on Oct. 31, Republic of China cofounder Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) birthday anniversary on Nov. 12 and Constitution Day on Dec. 25.
NPP Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has since 2016 failed to keep its promise of reinstating the seven national holidays.
Photo: CNA
“We thought about how we should reinstate the national holidays. We held an online poll to let people decide what these holidays should be. Aside from Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Aug. 1, we propose that July 15 be made a national holiday to commemorate the end of the Martial Law era,” he said.
The NPP has proposed Aug. 1 be made a national holiday, because the National Assembly, which was dissolved in 2005, passed a constitutional amendment on Aug. 1, 1994, to use the phrase “indigenous peoples” to address the nation’s Aborigines in the Constitution, rather than “mountain compatriots,” Hsu said.
The NPP’s other proposed national holidays are: Jan. 2, Freedom of Speech Day on April 7, Earth Day on April 22, Teachers’ Day on Sept. 28, and Human Rights Day and Kaohsiung Incident Memorial Day on Dec. 12, he said.
The government should host commemorative events to observe or celebrate them, he said, adding that the NPP would observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year by screening two documentary films in Taipei about the nation’s Aborigines.
Two public discussion sessions would be held afterward: One would be about the government’s promotion of mountain tourism and potential conflict involving traditional Aboriginal territories, and the other is about Aborigines’ right to consultation and consent under the Mining Act (礦業法), Hsu said.
“Earlier this year, the Executive Yuan announced that it lifted all restrictions on access to the nation’s mountains and forests, and even used ‘Salute to Mountains and Forests’ as its slogan for the policy. However, for the Aborigines, this could serve as an asymmetric expansion of government rights. We would continue to focus on issues related to the Mining Act at the Legislative Yuan,” he said.
Dumas Temu (黃約農), an Atayal, is the director of one of the documentary films to be shown on Friday.
He said that many of the mountains in the nation are Aborigines’ traditional territories.
Yushan (玉山), for example, is home to Tsou and Bunun communities, he said.
There are bout 370 million indigenous people worldwide and about 540,000 of them live in Taiwan, Temu said, adding that they have been deprived of their rights by foreign political regimes and capitalists.
The NPP said it would use a logo featuring Indigenous Peoples’ Day on its Facebook page until Saturday to raise awareness about the issues concerning the nation’s Aborigines.
This shows that the party stands with indigenous cultures around the world to fight for their rights and defend their cultures, Temu said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS