Recent news from Wushe has highlighted one of the difficulties facing us here in the mountains of Central Taiwan: corruption among our own people.

And this is only one of the problems that must be dealt with if we are to lead full and free lives.

Since returning from living for many years in America, I have been living in my own Bunun village for over a decade. During this time I have witnessed personally the corruption of village leaders. It is a terrible human tragedy to be preyed upon by one's own people.

One might think that judicial action against "black gold" or the humanitarian efforts of government agencies or volunteer organizations to send goods or funds to help villages to solve their problems would be enough.

Sadly, this alone will not address the roots of the current tragedy.

First of all, many Aborigines do migrant work and have grown up in the habit of having short-term, temporary jobs. In fact, many find it difficult to take permanent positions even when they are available for them because they are so used to periods of work alternating with periods of idleness.

Financial support alone, no matter how well-meant, can in fact contribute to the ruin of their lives by encouraging even more laziness.

To combat this problem, retraining is needed in order to change their work habits and help them deal with long-term, permanent employment.

A related problem is that of alcoholism. Many of our older villagers have died and continue to die from drinking or alcohol-related health problems and now we see young people following in their footsteps.

What is needed in this case is the participation of support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or government agencies to help end alcoholism.

There are many who could benefit from such efforts to rebuild their self-esteem and redirect their lives.

Of course, we depend upon the work of the well-meaning to help the truly needy and to provide financial support for basic living requirements.

It must be realized, however, that this kind of help cannot be fruitful if it is placed in the hands of greedy local leaders who have, since the 921 earthquake, shamefully ripped off the aid intended for their people. It is only the most recent of deep-seated practices of those who have fattened themselves with money and goods intended for the needy.

The problem goes to the core of the political system that has been in place for many years.

In short, many of the Aborigine villages of Taiwan face these problems of unproductive life styles and "black gold" practices. Beyond basic financial support, which should not be placed under the control of local leaders, we need to provide training to workers to help them take on the responsibilities of permanent employment and to provide them with support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Only then will we begin to address the real problems faced by Aborigines.

Judy K. L. Wu

Recently, I read a newspaper column in which the author expressed annoyance about excess coverge of post-quake problems. Maybe there has been overkill, but if you live constantly with the reminders of the horrible 921 temblor you feel a need to express your anguish. It has left an indelible mark on the minds and emotions of people and the continued hardships of life have added frustration to fear.

While there are signs that things are beginning to move, Jen Ai Hsiang roads are still very badly damaged and we have been suffering from these miserable roads ever since the quake. Jen Ai Township authorities are either ignoring us or just taking their good old time.

The slowness of repairs made it necessary for the Wanta Power Plant to fix the road from Wushe to the Wanta Dam. While we can be thankful for the plant's work, what about the stretch between Wanta and Wan Feng and the string of aborigines communities it services. Who is going to take care of us?

The township leaders and the village chiefs are too busy scrambling to get personal benefit from reconstruction to pay attention to what is really needed to improve our country. One can only hope that proper leaders could arise to replace those which have plagued us for so long.

We heard long ago of a TV station and the TPC giving vast sums to repair Jen Ai's roads, but we don't have decent roads yet. Officials are busy taking pictures of the roads, but the roads remain essentially untouched -- full of cracks, potholes, piles of rocks and mounds of mud. Just enough rubble is removed to barely allow passage, leaving rest to form a foundation for new slides that can then be photographed again.

Not long ago, I drove through the dust along this winding, pitted and rubble-strewn road under the beating hot sun from Wan Feng to Wanta where the president was visiting. I had supported President Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó) -- a lonely stance in our area of old guard stalwarts and Soong supporters -- and was hoping that I could see him. When I got there everybody was streaming around for his departure. I had hoped that at least he would walk down the street so that I could shake his hand, but he went straight to his car with hoards of policemen surrounding him. It was impossible to get near Chen and it was a disappointing trip.

So when I drove back to Wan Feng, passing one village after another, I looked at the people who were sitting on the street drinking and chatting. I felt the sadness and emptiness from deep down in their souls, pleading silently for help. The kind of lives they lead are a dead end and they don't know how to deal with it. That is one reason that many of these people turn to alcohol to numb themselves.

The president's visit to the mountain was an appropriate gesture and we know that his heart is with us, but it would have been better for him to go deeper into the mountains to show his concern for aborigines instead of just visiting a Taiwanese enclave.

Chen is a righteous man struggling to improve our country. I can only raise a cry on behalf of aborigines' needs in the hope that the real situation can be made clear. Only then can Chen have the necessary facts to act effectively. Because he is the president, he can make an impact on the aborigine people and even inspire them.

It is not just their roads, but also their lives that need repair.

Judy K.L. Wu