Legislators: Less Political Rhetoric, More Professional Scrutiny!

Regarding today's (9th) Legislative Yuan review of the nominees for the President and Vice President of the Judicial Yuan as well as Justices of the Constitutional Court serving four-year terms, the "Legislative Yuan Observation Group of the Civil Alliance for Monitoring Grand Justice Nominees" stated after a full day of observation that while the questioning attitude of most legislators was generally rational, there was an excessive amount of political rhetoric, drifting further and further away from the "professional scrutiny" expected by civil society. Below are our specific observations:

1. Regarding the overall performance of each party caucus today, the Kuomintang (KMT) performed the best, followed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while the People First Party (PFP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) performed less satisfactorily. Analysis shows that the generally low ratings for the PFP and TSU stem from their overly political and ideological questioning. This raises doubts as to whether PFP and TSU legislators care only about the political stances of the Grand Justice nominees rather than more critical issues such as human rights concepts, constitutional awareness, or academic and professional competence.
2. Regarding the individual performance of legislators from various parties, the Observation Group expressed affirmation for Legislator Cho Po-yuan (KMT) for raising questions concerning flogging, the abolition of the death penalty, and the lack of supporting measures for the implementation of the new Code of Criminal Procedure; Legislator Li Chun-yi (DPP) for inquiring from a constitutional perspective about changing the national title, the Referendum Act, and plebiscites; and Legislator Tsai Chung-han (PFP) for raising issues concerning the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. This demonstrates that these legislators were well-prepared before asking questions. Conversely, the Observation Group deemed the performance of Legislator Chi Kuo-tung (KMT)—who asked Grand Justice nominees to grade the performance of legislators in reviewing them—as well as the remarks of Legislators Li Chen-nan (DPP), Li Ching-hua (PFP), Chou Hsi-wei (PFP), and Liao Pen-yen (TSU), to be inappropriate due to their overly heavy political undertones.
3. Finally, the Legislative Yuan Observation Group of the Civil Alliance for Monitoring Grand Justice Nominees expects legislators to engage in less political rhetoric and more professional scrutiny during the remaining review sessions. Furthermore, questions should be kept as concise as possible to allow Grand Justice nominees more time to respond, thereby giving all sectors of society a better opportunity to understand their human rights ideals and constitutional awareness.

List of Observation Group Members for September 9

Professor Huang Hsiu-tuand, Taiwan Association for Human Rights / Cheng-She
Professor Ho Hsin-chuan, Cheng-She
Attorney Wei Ch'ien-feng, Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Professor Liu Ching-yi, Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Attorney Cheng Wen-lung, Taipei Bar Association
Tai Chia-hui, Taipei Bar Association
Professor Ch'en I-ch'ien, Judicial Reform Foundation
Attorney Lin Ching-p'ing, Judicial Reform Foundation

This Observation Group will continue its observations tomorrow (September 10) in Meeting Room 10 of the Legislative Yuan.

Press Contact

Alliance Spokesperson Attorney Lin Ching-p'ing; Chang Fei-lan