Taiwan Church News 3257 Edition July 28 - August 3, 2014 Editorial Editorial: A New And Independent Country Without Racist Chauvinism In Taiwan's Constitutional Amendment, effective from August 1st 1994, the name of "the aboriginal people" was officially recognized instead of "the mountain people" used in Taiwan society for decades. On July 27th, when a 20th years' commemoration assembly was held for the recognition of Taiwanese aboriginal people, former President Lee Teng-huei, who played a critical role in this event, was invited to deliver a speech. Lee emphasized the recognition of the aboriginal people as a very important step toward Taiwan's democracy and also an indispensable basis to build up Taiwan's subjective sovereignty. Lee firmly believed that the different people living on Taiwan should help each other to establish an abundantly plural and democratic society. Yet, when the past 20 years is retrieved after the recognition of the aboriginal people, who are still suffering lots of exploitation and oppression from mainstream Taiwan society, we cannot help but say that the last mile of our faith confession - to establish a new and independent country - should be a mindset to protest against "Chinese racist chauvinism" fashioned in Taiwan society, if we are serious enough to practice the recognition of the aboriginal people as an important building block in Taiwan's democracy. Walis Nokan, a famous Taiwanese aboriginal writer specialized in indigenous narratives and related inflicted histories, demonstrated his critical reflection about the Chinese racist chauvinism in his recently published new book - "Walis' Micro-fiction". In one of his short story, Aftermath, he writes: The fate of Ma-lai within the aboriginal tribe is same as the timbre robbers from the Chinese plain villagers. They are all caught by the police in the the same mountain and got sentenced in the same court. But, the timbre robbers got six months sentence which could be paid with money as a fine ; Ma-lai got 18 months jail which means no parole or possibility to pay the fine instead. Why? Ma-lai politely whispered to the judge in an incredible surprise and despair: Timbre robbers took away the precious rare trees, yet we the indigenous just picked up the ganoderma grown from the rotten trees bequeathed by ancestors. Timbre robbers extinguish the particular species without caring the environment; yet our gathering of ganoderma is a sustainable economy. The judge gave Ma-lai in a cold-blooded answer: This is law! Stupid! In addition, why you didn't apply a lawyer to defend for yourself? This story makes us feel sad and sigh for the fate of the indigenous people in modern Taiwan. Somehow, current mainstream Taiwan society may feel enough material supply and social care have been given to the aboriginal society. But, as a matter of fact, Taiwan society always separate themselves away from the aboriginal society with a top-down authoritarianism and patronage mentality. The so called 400 years of Taiwan history, mainly propounded by Hok-loh-lang, is actually an aboriginal history full of blood and tears. Before the arrival of of Chiang Kai-sheik's KMT regime in 1949, there had already decades of or even hundreds years of hatred and bitterness accumulated within the aboriginal people due to the exploitation and oppression from Taiwan's Chinese society. Tension, mistrust and recklessaggressiveness still dominates the relationshipsbetween the mainstream Taiwan society and the aboriginalpeople. Even the basic human rights of the aboriginal to live safely on their own land becomes a luxury. From the eyes of the indigenous, the stereotyped Taiwanese from plain villages maliciously buy out their lands in the plain and sell their daughters into city as prostitutes. So, how can you blame the aboriginal people not to vote for "the chief of the Taiwanese"? Only we can reach out to help each other, then Taiwan Democracy can stride in a steady march! |