President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that lawyers should serve as a bridge between the government and the people because of their extensive legal knowledge and their ability to observe the government's actions from the point of view of the general population.
He said that if lawyers discover instances of where laws deviate from reality, they should provide feedback to help the administration's policy implementation become more thorough and complete.
Chen added that the nation's lawyers can provide invaluable opinions for the legislature's reference, particularly regarding last month's Economic Development Advisory Conference.
The 322 recommendations reached by consensus at the conference will require lawmakers to amend many laws before the suggestions can even start to be carried out.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Bar Association to celebrate Lawyers' Day, which was yesterday, Chen said that, although the economic conference was not a legally mandated meeting, it was held on the basis of the "feelings of the people" and was a "necessary" path to improvement.
The conference brought together 120 members of the government, industry and academia who reached 322 points of agreement, 36 majority opinions and 12 other opinions by the end of their three-day meeting.
Chen, a former maritime lawyer, said that although he has already left the field of law, he understands that laws are the basis of government policies, the norms in people's lives and social justice.
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