President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) apologized in person to the public yesterday for failing to consider public opinion in his nomination of Supreme Court Judge Shao Yen-ling (邵燕玲) to the Council of Grand Justices and denied having prior knowledge of her controversial ruling in a sexual assault case.
The president insisted that during their meeting on Monday, Shao had not told him that she was the chief judge of the case that involved a three-year-old girl, and said he would not have nominated Shao if he had been aware of her involvement in the controversial case.
“I want to apologize again for the nomination process … The process was not thorough because we only considered the nominees’ expertise and integrity. The government should never break away from public opinion and social perception,” Ma said in a press conference at the Presidential Office.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Ma’s personal apology yesterday came after he and Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) issued a statement late on Thursday night apologizing for the controversial nomination.
On Thursday morning, Ma named Tang Te-tsung (湯德宗) as the alternative nominee for the Council of Grand Justices, after Shao issued a press statement earlier that morning saying she had decided not to accept the nomination.
Shao caused a stir last year when she overruled a Taiwan High Court verdict in a sexual assault case on the grounds that the court could not prove a three-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted against her will because she had not resisted strongly enough.
The ruling prompted a group of Internet users to initiate the “White Rose Movement” last year, and tens of thousands of protesters joined a large-scale rally that called for the dismissal of judges they consider unsuitable and for legal revisions to provide better protection for -children and people with disabilities against sexual assault.
Shao came from a breed of “dinosaur judges” that needed to be replaced, the critics said.
Siew, who led the task force responsible for examining the nominees’ qualifications, also joined Ma at the press conference yesterday and apologized again for failing to provide sufficient information to Ma.
According to Siew, the task force spent 18 days collecting a list of 32 potential candidates and then Ma spent several days picking four nominees.
Judicial Yuan President Rai Hau-min (賴浩敏) yesterday also publicly apologized for recommending Shao for a seat on the council.
Rai said he knew Shao was responsible for the controversial ruling, but still included her on the nomination list because he saw Shao as “qualified talent” and that it was difficult to find a female nominee.
“I put too much emphasis on her experience and expertise and did not think the case would be an obstacle in the nomination process. I apologize for failing to consider public perception and causing trouble for the task force,” he said at the joint press conference.
When asked whether the Presidential Office replaced Shao only to resolve growing public criticism, Ma said members of the Grand Justice Council should know more than making judgments in accordance of laws.
“The judiciary should be independent, but not autocratic. We should always consider public perception, otherwise we won’t make any progress as a society,” he said.
Ma said he would instruct the Presidential Office’s secretary--general to adjust the nomination process, but declined comment when asked whether anyone should be held responsible.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source