"Criminal of conscience" is the ridiculous label that Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (
Before being elected to the legislature to say such stupid things, Hsu was a lawyer. This romantic juxtaposition of criminality and idealism, however, is better suited to a Hollywood screenplay than a legislative critique of the legal system.
In a rare example of bipartisan lawmaking, the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are in amnesty mode, voting to release prisoners serving 18 months in jail or less. It pays to remember that the amnesty was never meant to apply to prisoners across the board, as they have in the past. In a classic case of cynical populism, those on death row have not had their sentences commuted and those with heavier sentences have not been granted a reduction in jail time.
Except for the "rice bomber."
The fact that Yang was eligible for parole in October makes President Chen Shui-bian's (
Whatever partisan reasons exist for the bipartisan support that Yang's case has received in the legislature, the fact remains that the legal system has been cheapened by this instance of unreasonable intervention on the part of the executive. Indeed, the reasons offered by Chen for Yang's early release -- compassion, good behavior, time already served -- do not distinguish him from a large number of other prisoners who do not qualify for the amnesty.
Though hardly comparable to the violence witnessed in other countries, Yang's acts constituted terrorism because they potentially endangered innocent people. Some might argue he was misguided and acting for an honorable cause, but this is something that can be said about most terrorists by their supporters and does not make the act any less criminal or -- in this case -- any less punishable.
There seems to be little reason for concern that cheerleading for Yang by the president, legislators and others will inspire others to take an extremist road in defending their interests. But that does not make Yang's pardon any less irresponsible.
This is especially the case in light of genuinely unjust or unsafe sentences that have been handed down and not repealed. The malicious jailing of Atayal Aborigines in remote Hsinchu County for taking fallen wood by the roadside in a national park -- an example of ethnic punishment that cries out for a pardon if ever anything did -- and the never-ending Hsichih Trio debacle are just two examples.
We might also ask why Chen has moved to pardon a fool like Yang but failed to at least declare a moratorium on the death penalty -- a long-promised reform that was never delivered.
Yang's infantile take on the world around him is not unique in this country. Some legislators, such as one who infamously dressed as the protagonist of V For Vendetta and released apparent tear gas in the legislature, also subscribe to a mix of retribution fantasies, contempt for colleagues and self-pity.
When such people receive sympathy from the highest office and the highest lawmaking body in the land for apparently political purposes, it becomes ever more important to promote the independence and integrity of the judiciary, whatever its faults.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and