Four groups yesterday visited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) office and called for Hung’s support on legal reforms. Hung endorsed the need for a national convention on judicial reforms and proposed the establishment of a judicial reform committee in the legislature.
Representatives of the Taiwan Bar Association, the Taipei Bar Association, the Taiwan Law Society and the Judicial Reform Foundation — who met with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday last week — visited Hung’s office in Taipei to propose judicial reform platforms.
Kao Su-po (高思博), one of Hung’s advisers, said Hung would respond positively to the groups’ call for a national convention on judicial reforms if she is elected.
Regarding the groups’ proposal for the establishment of a standing “judicial reform committee” under the purview of the Presidential Office, Kao said Hung believes that judicial reforms would have to conform to the framework of the Constitution and that a standing judicial reform committee under the Presidential Office should only be allowed a consultation role, lest it generate public suspicions about political intervention in the judiciary.
Hung has put forth two more reform proposals; the first is that the consensuses reached by the said national convention would be incorporated as the criteria for nominating the Judicial Yuan president and vice president, Kao said.
Hung also advocates the establishment of a judicial reform committee, “similar to the existing constitutional amendment committee,” in the legislature, in order to allow the Legislative Yuan to also play a part in the reform procedure, “as any changes to the judicial system would ultimately require legislation,” Kao said.
Meanwhile, Hung was in Hsinchu yesterday where she happened to meet Tsai at a Hakka religious event. The two shook hands, but exchanged few words.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who it is said has shown little support for Hung’s campaign, was present at the event as well, after which he raised Hung’s hand before the media and shouted, dong suan, (getting elected) in Hoklo.
Separately yesterday in Taipei, at the KMT’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting presided over by KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), committee member Lee Chao-ping (李昭平) suggested that Chu “condescend” to becoming the KMT’s vice presidential candidate.
However, Lee denied his suggestion indicated he endorsed a pair-up between Hung and Chu when queried about the matter by reporters.
“I did not phrase it like that,” he said.
Chu did not respond directly to Lee’s call, but said at the end of the meeting that while different opinions are welcome within the party, solidarity was the key to future success.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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