Walis Perin (born 8 August 1952) is a
Seediq Taiwanese politician. He served four terms in the
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...
from 1993 to 2005, each time with a different political affiliation. He became a founding member of the
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union
The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union is a political party in Taiwan. It was established on 16 June 2004, led by founding Chairwoman Chang Po-ya and emerged a major player in the national political scene during the 2004 Taiwan legislative electio ...
in 2004, and after losing reelection, was appointed the minister for the
Council of Indigenous Peoples in 2005. He stepped down in 2007, and since then has launched two unsuccessful legislative campaigns, in 2012 with the
People First Party and 2016, representing the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
. In 2018, Walis Perin was appointed to the
Control Yuan
The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China, both during its time in mainland China and Taiwan.
Designed as a hybrid of auditor and ombudsman by Taiwanese law, the Control Yuan holds th ...
.
Early life, education and career
Walis Perin was born in
Nantou County
Nantou is the second largest County (Taiwan), county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya people, Hoanya Taiwanese aborigines, Taiwanese ...
on 8 August 1952 and obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy followed by a master's degree in theology, both from
Fu Jen Catholic University
Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private education, private Catholic university in Xinzhuang District, Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and ...
. He served as a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest until 1986, when he won a seat on the
Nantou County Council.
Prior to 2008, when the government granted official status to the
Seediq people
The Seediq (sometimes Sediq, Seejiq, , , or ; ) are a Taiwanese indigenous people who live primarily in Nantou County and Hualien County. Their language is also known as Seediq.
They were officially recognized as Taiwan's 14th indigenous group ...
, Wallis Perin was described as an
Atayal.
Political career
Walis Perin won a seat on the second Legislative Yuan as an independent in 1992. He ran under the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
banner in 1995, and won a second term. By 1998, Walis Perin left the KMT for the Democratic Non-Partisan Alliance, but again managed to keep his legislative seat. Walis Perin split from the DNPA to run for reelection yet again in 2001.
He joined the
Taiwan Number One Party,
and was covered in Taiwanese media as an independent.
In 2002, Walis Perin and other legislators reestablished a caucus for independents, of which he was named the convener.
As a legislator, Walis Perin worked extensively to protect aboriginal autonomy and culture. He proposed a bill that sought to form an aboriginal parliament and constitution, and has supported initiatives to cut the aboriginal unemployment rate. In further defense of aboriginal rights, Walis Perin has been known to lead protests. He and nine others founded the
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union
The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union is a political party in Taiwan. It was established on 16 June 2004, led by founding Chairwoman Chang Po-ya and emerged a major player in the national political scene during the 2004 Taiwan legislative electio ...
in June 2004. A month later, Vice President
Annette Lu
Lu Hsiu-lien (; born 7 June 1944), also known by her English name Annette, is a Taiwanese politician and lawyer. A feminist active in the tangwai movement, she joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 1990, and was elected to the Legis ...
commented that aboriginals were not first to live on the island of Taiwan. Walis Perin planned a rally to counter the remark, and also said, "
u'ssuggestion that Aboriginal people are not native to Taiwan and are outsiders is disrespectful and stems from an ignorance of the culture and history of the indigenous people." Shortly after the incident, it was recommended that the
Council of Indigenous Peoples merge with the
Hakka Affairs Council and the
Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission
The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC) was a ministry-level commission of the Executive Yuan in the Republic of China. It was disbanded on 15 September 2017.
History
The first model was created during the Qing dynasty in 1636 ...
. The CIP and Walis Perin panned the suggestion, and the merger did not occur. In December, running as a Non-Partisan Solidarity Union candidate, Walis Perin was defeated in the legislative elections.
On 3 March 2005, Wallis Perin was appointed the minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, replacing
Chen Chien-nien, who had resigned.
Under his leadership, the CIP drafted a revision to laws pertaining to aboriginal autonomy, established a library and resource center for indigenous people, and helped start a radio station and television channel geared toward an aboriginal audience,
the latter something Walis Perin had supported since his days in the legislature. Also during his tenure, the
Sakizaya people
The Sakizaya (native name: Sakuzaya, literally "real man"; ; occasionally Sakiraya or Sakidaya) are Taiwanese indigenous peoples with a population of approximately 1,000. They primarily live in Hualien (formerly known as ''Kiray''), where their ...
applied for and received official governmental designation as a group separate from the
Amis. Wallis Perin left the CIP in 2007, and was succeeded by
Icyang Parod.
In August 2011, Walis Perin was named a
People First Party candidate for the legislature, but lost. He ran again in 2016, this time with the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
. Walis Perin declared his candidacy in May 2015. During his campaign, he alleged that other candidates were engaging in electoral fraud. Shortly after defeating Walis Perin,
Chien Tung-ming was indicted on charges of vote buying. In March 2017, President
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...
named Walis Perin to a position on the
Control Yuan
The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China, both during its time in mainland China and Taiwan.
Designed as a hybrid of auditor and ombudsman by Taiwanese law, the Control Yuan holds th ...
. He was also appointed to a committee set up to research aboriginal property rights. During questioning by the Legislative Yuan in January 2018, Wallis Perin stated that he supported the Control Yuan's abolition only if it was first approved by constitutional amendment and further backed by a referendum. Walis Perin was confirmed as a member of the Control Yuan on 16 January 2018, and took office immediately.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perin, Walis
1952 births
Living people
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Members of the Legislative Yuan
Kuomintang Members of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan
Members of the 2nd Legislative Yuan
Members of the 3rd Legislative Yuan
Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan
Members of the 5th Legislative Yuan
Aboriginal Members of the Legislative Yuan
Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Nantou County
Taiwanese Roman Catholics
Taiwanese Roman Catholic priests
Fu Jen Catholic University alumni
Seediq people
People First Party (Taiwan) politicians
Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan) politicians
Taiwanese political party founders
Taiwanese members of the Control Yuan
Government ministers of Taiwan