Agenzia Fides

Tai Pei (Agenzia Fides) - For the dignity of the indigenous people, to be the best indigenous in the world and to be loved by God, the indigenous people of Taiwan say 'no' to fraud, to electoral corruption, and claim transparent and clean elections. This is the spirit of the joint Declaration signed by His Exc. Mgr. John B. Tseng, Auxiliary of the Diocese of Hwalien and President of the Commission for the Pastoral Care of the Indigenous of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan, and by Rev. Liu A Chun, director of the Commission for the Mission of the Indigenous of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan, in sight of the presidential elections to be held on January 14.
The letter reads: "the deep culture of the indigenous population of Taiwan is characterized by its rich and valuable spirit of sharing .... With the arrival of several waves of migration and social change ... also the pure and good heart of the indigenous has been seriously polluted". In particular, it denounces the buying and selling of the vote, carried out by some candidates and some indigenous, in sharp contrast with conscience and moral principles of the indigenous themselves, "boldly exercising electoral fraud and corruption". Therefore, the Commission for the Pastoral Indigenous of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan, and the Commission for the Missions of the Indigenous of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan declare: "For the dignity of indigenous people, we must completely eliminate vote-buying and fraud; to be the best indigenous in the world; we refuse to vote those who exercise fraud; to be indigenous loved by God, the Church forms a Group of members of different tribes against electoral fraud in order to promote transparent and clean elections". The document urges: "Keep a heart clean and the future of the natives, let us build together a tribe characterized by dignity, charity, hope, trust, desire for justice which is what God likes". (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 12/01/2012)