Sun, Apr 09, 2006 page8

• Editorial: Cheng was right to go

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  Cheng Chung-mo's (城仲謀) resignation from the positions of Judicial Yuan vice president and grand justice ought to end the public speculation over any relationship between him and the woman who was supposedly caught on camera entering a motel room with him.

  At least that is the sincere hope of those of us who are getting worn down by the around-the-clock sensational media coverage of the story. However, among all the gossip and hearsay disguised by the media as "serious news" in this latest saga, there has been insufficient discussion of why Cheng should step down.

  If the real justification for demanding Cheng's resignation isn't stressed, the point of his departure would seem to be lost in the tide of useless information the media is feeding the public about the story.

  Without question, Cheng's decision to step down was the right one and absolutely necessary. When the local Chinese-language media initially published pictures of him entering the motel with a young woman, if he had immediately declared his decision to resign, it would have been the correct choice. Waiting a few days before finally succumbing to public pressure diminishes Cheng's standing.

  Cheng had to resign because he had tarnished the credibility and the image of the Counsel of Grand Justices, as well as the Judicial Yuan vice. Had he remained in his posts, the tasteless jokes and speculation would have lingered on, diminishing the image of the institutions. The damage to the trustworthiness of these two institutions, which are supposed to be embodiments of law and justice, would be too great.

  Even if Cheng was telling the truth, and that the woman was indeed suffering a stomach ache and needed to use the bathroom of the motel, he should still resign. Entering a motel room with a young woman alone by itself is highly improper precisely because it raises too much speculation about the real reason behind the act.

  Having said that, it should be pointed out that there were no real legal grounds to ask Cheng to resign. Entering a motel room with a woman is not illegal and nothing else can be proved to have happened. In the absence of legal reasons, Cheng's resignation was a moral and ethical issue -- that is, he had sufficient conscience to save the Council of Grand Justices and the Judicial Yuan vice from further public mockery. Chen's resignation was an act of self-sacrifice in this regard. From a member of the Council of Grand Justices, people rightfully demand higher moral and ethical standards.

  Cheng's resignation should end the controversy. He and the woman in question should be left alone. Whatever their relationship, it is strictly private and a personal matter of the parties involved.

  Unfortunately, there are some members of the Legislative Yuan who seem to be having far too much fun with the whole issue and don't want it to end too soon. Some of them are even saying that there should be an investigation into whether Cheng told the truth and into the exact nature of the relationship between Cheng and the woman. That would be taking things too far. One cannot help but ask why the Legislative Yuan does not demand of itself half of what it demands from Cheng.
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