Former Judicial Yuan vice president Cheng Chung-mo (城仲模) urged the government to initiate reforms to the justice system by abolishing the Judicial Yuan and bolstering lower courts by assigning more judges to district level courts.
He made the remarks at a seminar focused on “new concepts for judicial reform” organized by the Taiwan Law and Policy Research Foundation.
Cheng, chairman of the foundation, said that the Judicial Yuan must be abolished as a priority, as its role — of overseeing the entire courts system and judiciary officials — is superseded by the agency immediately below it, the Supreme Court.
“It is difficult for foreigners to fathom that our nation’s Supreme Court is under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Yuan. If it is called the Supreme Court, then why is there another judicial body above it?” Cheng said.
Following the transfer of power on May 20, Democratic Progressive Party and New Power Party lawmakers have been demanding the resignation of Judicial Yuan President Rai Hau-min (賴浩敏) and his deputy Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽), but they have resisted calls and have not resigned so new appointments could be made by the government.
Cheng also recommended that the government create a “pyramid structure” for the justice system, with the base being the local lower district courts.
Cheng said that doing away with the Judicial Yuan would free more resources and more judges could be assigned to lower courts, giving them the ability to handle the bulk of people’s judiciary needs and clear a backlog of lawsuits.
“Judicial reform is a difficult task. Most previous government leaders and heads of the judiciary did not want to open up this ‘Pandora’s box,’ so reform has been very slow going. Any work done only scratched the surface, with very little real change made to the system,” Cheng said.
Cheng said that surveys showed that 84 percent of people do not trust judges and 76 percent of people do not trust prosecutors, which he said indicated that only 20 to 30 percent of the public have faith in the nation’s justice system.
He blamed Taiwan’s examination culture for this, saying that most judiciary officials and judges entered the system by passing an entrance examination that mandates years of arduous studying at cram schools, which made them out of touch with society, because they might not have workplace experience or much experience in the outside world.
Starbucks Taiwan’s decision to charge for drink customization, which had been free, has sparked consumer backlash, highlighting the challenge of raising prices without making customers feel they are losing value, experts said. Since Oct. 12, customers who order drinks with less or no ice and ask to have the volume topped up with milk or other liquid have been charged an additional NT$15. Topping off drinks without ice was previously free, and disgruntled customers posted photos on social media showing that iced drinks ordered without ice were only half full if the extra NT$15 was not paid. The posts drew tens of thousands
EXPLANATION: Tsai said he attended events featuring various interviewees to observe them firsthand as part of his interview research Television host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) last night broke his silence over a controversy surrounding his appearance at a campaign event for Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋), saying he had never supported Taiwan independence. “I have always hoped for friendly cross-strait relations. I have never supported Taiwan independence,” Tsai wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo. Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen’s campaign headquarters on Oct. 4, drawing criticism from Chinese social media users and prompting some Chinese companies to distance themselves from him. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
Major department stores across Taiwan, including Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Far Eastern SOGO, Breeze and Honhui Plaza, are closed today due to Typhoon Champi, while major supermarkets remain open. Taipei 101 said its shopping mall, observatory and restaurants on higher floors are closed for the day, with future hours to be adjusted based on the storm's status. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has closed all 16 of its branches nationwide, as well as its Taipei Railway Station mall and SKM Park Outlets in Kaohsiung. Far Eastern SOGO said it has closed all of its branches nationwide, including Garden City in Taipei, citing the safety
DOUBLE-CHECK: Mandarin Airlines said that it would adjust its schedule according to weather conditions, while high-speed rail services are to remain undisrupted Airlines, ferry services, railways and national parks announced cancelations and closures yesterday, as Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued land warnings for most of Taiwan proper, as Champi is forecast to come closest to the nation today. Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has canceled all express trains on its western and eastern trunk lines today, while the high-speed rail system would continue to operate normally. For non-reserved TRC services, trains on the Coast Line, Chengzhui Line, Yilan Line and North Link Line are fully suspended. Services between Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as other unsuspended routes, would operate
RSS