Hsieh Chang-ting (Frank Hsieh, 谢长廷), former Taiwanese premier and DPP presidential nominee who lost against Ma Ying-jeou in March this year, said in an interview that if former president Chen Shui-bian did wrong, he should pay the price and be tried. However, noone should leap to conclusions. The judicial system only enjoyed the trust of less than 30%. Hsieh also said that street demonstration in a democratic society should be organized and carried out in an orderly and non-violent way.
The Time China Blog quotes Hu Shuli, editor leading Chinese financial magazine Caijing as saying that Taiwan’s judicial process
is special for Chinese around the world. When a former leader is detained in an ordinary jail cell, it’s clear that China’s old feudal saying that “punishment reaches no officials” is no longer valid.
The Time Blog also quotes Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai:
…as difficult as it may seem, China should look for help from Taiwan. The island has institutions that protect and nurture ideas. It is a place where people don’t have to be afraid of holding unpopular opinions. Most importantly, Taiwan has a fully functioning democracy.
Tags: accountability, apple daily, CCP, Chen Shui-bian, corruption, cross-strait, democracy, Taiwan
September 12, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] Jimmy Lai’s point of view (as quoted by the Time China Blog, anyway), Chen Shui-bian’s trial was a showcase for the rule of law. But that was in 2008. Back then, Jerome A. Cohen arguably agreed with Lai: “It has put [...]