The Executive Yuan should consider an amendment to Article 7 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) that would allow separate legislation pertaining to local governments on outlying islands, the Kinmen County Government said yesterday.
Kinmen would continue petitioning Taipei to uphold constitutional guarantees of outlying island residents’ basic rights, the county government said, referring to Article 10, Paragraph 11 of the Constitution, which states: “The State shall, in accordance with the will of the ethnic groups, safeguard the status and political participation of the Aborigines... The same protection and assistance shall be given to the people of the Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu areas.”
The county government said that its initiative comes in reaction to a separate draft amendment to the Local Government Act, proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Dec. 24 last year, which would exclude local governments on outlying islands from benefits other municipalities would enjoy.
Photo courtesy of the Kinmen County Government via CNA
Article 4 of the Local Government Act says that municipalities with 1.25 million inhabitants or more “and have special requirements in their political, economic, cultural and metropolitan developments may establish special municipalities.”
The DPP draft would change that to 1.25 million inhabitants or more “or” have special requirements.
The Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例) is Taiwan’s only legislation for the welfare and interests of outlying island residents, making them more vulnerable than indigenous communities or Hakka people, the county government said, adding that it is drafting its own amendment to the Local Government Act, which would lay the foundation for an “Outlying Islands Basic Act.”
It would additionally petition the Cabinet to draw up a special law to guarantee and uphold the interests of residents on outlying islands, the county government said.
In drafting the amendment, the county government said it has sought input from the Penghu and Lienchiang county governments.
It is also planning to ask legislators representing outlying island constituencies, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Jessica Chen (陳玉珍) and Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生), and DPP Legislator Yang Yao (楊曜), to meet with commissioners of Lienchiang and Penghu counties to further discuss the issue, the Kinmen County Government said.
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