方恩格快評》臺灣原住民問題 CNN報導失實

CNN最近發表的一篇題爲《臺灣擁抱原住民 拒絕中國》的報導中，再次漏洞百出，遺漏了好幾個關鍵問題。圖爲示意。（莊哲權攝）

去年10月，筆者寫了一篇關於CNN視頻報導的評論，報導中一位CNN記者走訪綠島，並討論了臺灣的白色恐怖時期和隨後的民主化。不幸的是，這篇CNN報導內含許多事實錯誤。

作爲觀衆，我們無從知曉，外媒對臺灣的不實報導究竟是爲了國內某些政客的利益操弄，還是記者們本身的的拙劣研究。但無論如何，身爲閱聽衆，我們應該警惕這些問題。

美國有線電視新聞網（CNN)最近發表的一篇題爲《臺灣擁抱原住民 拒絕中國》的報導中，討論了中國國民黨自1945年開始在臺灣實行威權統治的期間，是如何「建立威權統治的聲譽和灌輸『中國化』給當地人」的。當然，國民黨在威權統治時期的政策給臺灣原住民造成了巨大的苦難，臺灣原住民理應得到蔡英文總統在2016年的道歉，並且歷史性錯誤也得以被糾正。

然而，這篇CNN的報導再次漏洞百出，遺漏了好幾個關鍵問題。

CNN報導，臺灣第一次直選總統是在1992年，但實際上，第一次直選總統發生在1996年。記者採訪谷辣斯•尤達卡，卻誤稱她去年參選花蓮市長。 事實上，她參選花蓮縣長。

CNN報導援引了2016年蔡英文總統對原住民的道歉，並寫道「從那時起」，臺灣便允許「羣體成員在正式文件上使用羅馬字符（而非漢字）來登記他們的名字」。事實上，《姓名條例》早在1995年就已修訂好，允許可以在戶籍登記中使用原住民姓名。

CNN還報導說，在蔡總統向原住民道歉後，「從那時起」，臺灣便「在立法機關中爲原住民代表保留席位」。事實上，1972年舉行的立法委員選舉（第一次增額立法委員選舉）設立了平地原住民選舉區和選出了臺灣原住民首位立法委員華愛。隨後，原住民立委在接下來的增額立法委員選舉中參選，其中包括了1980年增加的山地原住民選舉區。

到1992年立法院第一次全面改選時，山地和平地原住民選區各保留了3個席位。在1998 年、2001年和2004年的立委選舉中，山地和平地原住民選區各有4個席位。從2008年立委選舉開始，2005年的憲法改革將山地和平地原住民選區的席位固定爲3席。

誠然，蔡總統對原住民的道歉，對於在漢人和日本人手中遭受如此多苦難的羣體來說，是轉型正義的一個重要時刻，值得國際媒體報導。

不過，CNN的文章疏忽了蔡政府落實對原住民承諾的討論。這是在蔡總統道歉後的幾年裡引起廣泛討論的問題。原住民權益倡導者認爲沒有采取足夠行動的問題包括土地正義、更大的自治權，且政府反對承認西拉雅族和其他平埔族（平地原住民）爲官方原住民羣體。對於西拉雅族人和其他平埔族人問題，憲法法庭於 2022 年一致作出對他們有利的裁決。

儘管CNN文章的標題是《臺灣擁抱原住民 拒絕中國》，但CNN記者並沒有討論爲什麼原住民選民繼續支持國民黨而非民進黨。擁有全臺最多原住民人口數的臺東縣與花蓮縣，這兩個縣從未選出民進黨籍縣長。民進黨在2005年修憲後的最近幾屆立委選舉中，在平地和山地原住民選區中表現不佳，分別在2008年獲得零席，2012年零席，2016年一席，2020年兩席。

正如CNN對白色恐怖時期的失實報導是對實際受害者及其家屬的不尊重一樣，CNN對臺灣原住民羣體的失實報導也是如此。正如筆者之前所寫，臺灣政客不應該操弄事實，外國記者也不應該參與這種操弄。

（作者爲美國共和黨前亞太區主席，許淳恩譯）

Indigenous Persons Issues Deserve Accurate Reporting

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad

Twitter: @RossFeingold

Last October, this author wrote a commentary about a CNN video report in which a CNN journalist visited Green Island and discussed Taiwan’s White Terror period and subsequent democratization. Unfortunately, the CNN report contained multiple factual errors.

As the audience, it is impossible for us to know whether inaccurate reports in foreign media reports about Taiwan are manipulation to benefit certain domestic politicians, or, the result of lousy research by the reporters. Regardless, as the audience we should be alert to these issues.

A recently published report in CNN, titled “As Taiwan embraces its Indigenous people, it rebuffs China” discusses how the Chinese Nationalist Party during its authoritarian rule over Taiwan starting from 1945 “established a reputation for authoritarian rule and a policy of instilling “Chinese-ness” into the local population”. Certainly, the policies of Chinese Nationalist Party during its authoritarian rule resulted in great suffering for Taiwan’s Indigenous persons, and Taiwan’s Indigenous persons deserve the apology delivered by President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016 and for historical wrongs to be righted.

However, once again the CNN report is filled with errors, and, it omits several relevant issues.

CNN reports that the Taiwan had its first direct vote for president in 1992, but in fact, the first direct vote for president occurred in 1996. The author interviews Kolas Yotaka but mistakenly refers to her as having run for “mayor” of Hualien County in last year’s local election, when in fact she ran for county magistrate.

The CNN report cites President Tsai’s apology to the Indigenous people in 2016, and then writes that “since then”, Taiwan allows “community members to register their names with Roman characters (as opposed to Chinese characters) on official documents”. Actually, the Name Act was revised in 1995 to permit the use of an Indigenous name in household registration.

CNN also reports that after President Tsai’s apology to Indigenous persons, “since then”, Taiwan “has set aside seats in the legislature for Indigenous representatives”. In fact, the first seat reserved for an Indigenous legislator occurred in the supplemental Legislative Yuan election held in 1972 when a lowland Indigenous legislative constituency was created and to which Hwa Ai was elected. Subsequently, Indigenous legislators were elected in the following supplemental Legislative Yuan elections, including the addition of a highland Indigenous constituency in 1980.

By the time of the first complete re-election of the Legislative Yuan election in 1992, there were three seats reserved for each of the highland and lowland Indigenous constituencies. In the 1998, 2001 and 2004 Legislative Yuan elections there were four seats each of the highland and lowland Indigenous constituencies. The 2005 constitutional reforms fixed the seats at three each for the highland and lowland Indigenous constituencies starting from the 2008 Legislative Yuan election.

Certainly, President Tsai’s apology to the Indigenous persons was a significant moment in transitional justice for communities that have suffered so much at the hands of the Han and Japanese, and is worthy of international media coverage.

However, the CNN article omits discussion about the Tsai Administration’s implementation of the commitments it made to Indigenous communities. This is an issue that has attracted much discussion in the years after President Tsai’s apology. Among the issues Indigenous persons advocates cite as having received insufficient action are land justice, greater autonomy, and the government’s opposition to recognizing the Siraya and other Pingpu (plains Indigenous) people as official Indigenous groups. For the the Siraya and other Pingpu issue, a Constitutional Court ruled in their favor in 2022 in a unanimous decision.

Although the title of the CNN article is “As Taiwan embraces its Indigenous people, it rebuffs China”, the CNN journalist did not discuss why Indigenous voters continue to favor the Chinese Nationalist Party over the Democratic Progressive Party.The two counties with the largest number of Indigenous persons, Taitung and Hualien, have never elected as county magistrate a non Chinese Nationalist Party candidate. In the recent Legislative Elections after the 2005 constitutional reforms, the Democratic Progressive Party has performed poorly in the lowland and highland Indigenous constituencies, winning zero seats in 2008, zero seats in 2012, one seat in 2016, and two seats in 2020.

Just as CNN’s inaccurate reporting about the White Terror period is disrespectful to the actual victims and their families, the same applies to CNN’s inaccurate reporting about Taiwan’s Indigenous communities. As this author previously wrote, Taiwan politicians should not manipulate the facts, nor should foreign journalists participate in such manipulation.