Indigenous peoples groups held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan today (on the 30^th), calling for the Council of Indigenous Peoples to announce “The Pilot Project of Tribal Public Juristic Person” or its “Temporary Measures” this year. The Council of Indigenous Peoples stated that it was because the Ministry of Justice and the Legislative Research Bureau of the Legislative Yuan pointed out that the current laws do not grant tribal public juristic persons sufficient authorization. To prevent tribal public juristic persons from stagnating due to authorization issues, the Council is using “The Pilot Project of Tribal Public Juristic Person” to gather experience in system operation as a foundation for subsequent legal design and law revision.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples also stated that the procedures for report submission are very time-consuming. To avoid impacting the pilot project's timeliness and resource integration, and to consider the diversity of ethnic groups and regions, five tribes—Atolan Tribe, Kalibuan Tribe, Tjanaqasiya Tribe, Pangwi Tribe, and Sakar Tribe—were selected as the first participants in the pilot project experiment. If the project expands in the future, other ethnic groups and regions will be considered for inclusion, prioritizing those tribes with strong organizations and high development potential.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples emphasizes that “The Pilot Project of Tribal Public Juristic Person” system is not only a legal form design but also deeply relates to the collective subjectivity and multicultural forms of indigenous peoples. If a single mechanism is adopted from the start and applied universally, the congenital, disadvantaged tribes will face challenges participating in—or may even be excluded from—the system. To prevent a gap effect from occurring, the current stage employs a “pilot project experiment, system co-construction, flexible revision” approach to ensure that the tribal public juristic person system, when implemented, can widely absorb the experiences of various tribes.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples concluded that the pilot project content focuses on developing the tribes’ internal governance systems. The tribes will have direct communication regarding initial tasks, which do not involve changing the statutory remit of local governments. Should overlap or friction arise in practical operations, these will also be seen as important elements for observing and adjusting the plan. The Council will continue to gather feedback, make revisions and plans, and collaborate with tribes, local governments, and all sectors of society to promote a modern governance system that meets the objective needs of indigenous peoples while respecting cultural context.