Restoring public confidence in the justice system is necessary to resolve the “chaos” arising from the legislature’s bid to expand its power, a group said yesterday as they called on President William Lai (賴清德) to hasten judicial reform.
The legislative reform bills passed by opposition lawmakers this week have resulted in a clash between the executive and legislative branches over the limits of their constitutional prerogatives, the Judicial Justice Action Alliance told a news conference in Taipei.
Restoring the public’s trust in judges should be a top priority for the Lai administration, since the judiciary is highly likely to be called upon to settle the controversy, it said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The most recent poll by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation showed that 54.6 percent of Taiwanese disapproved of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) legal reforms, the alliance said.
The low level of public trust suggests the courts would have difficulty convincing Taiwanese that its judgement over the controversy surrounding the contempt of legislature laws just passed would be fair and unbiased, it said.
Lai must redouble the government’s efforts to make Taiwanese believe in their justice system again, but success would also garner plaudits for his administration, it said.
Previously, Lai told the alliance in a meeting that he agreed on the importance of judicial reform concerning reducing the courts’ caseloads, refining the role of prosecutors, and mechanisms for selecting and removing judges, it said.
Lai also promised the public that he would reform the nation’s justice system in his inauguration speech on Monday last week, it added.
The president is duty-bound to honor his promises and should do so by proposing an actionable plan for reforms in the first 100 days of his government, it said, adding that the paralysis induced by overworked courts must be dealt with quickly.
“Only fast and tangible reforms can restore public trust in the justice system which is essential for enabling the administration to carry out its work and settling the conflict between the legislative and executive branches,” the alliance said.
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