Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The Council of Grand Justices displayed a tragic lack of judicial independence and courage Friday by failing to take a clear stand on the validity of the court proceedings which resulted in a conviction and life sentence meted to former president Chen Shui-bian on "corruption" charges by the Taipei District Court last month.

While he was in office, president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) published a book entitled The Road to Democracy: Taiwan’s Pursuit of Identity (台灣的主張). It was appropriate and justified for Lee to write about democracy. In it, he laid out his intentions and concerns as a leader, as well as showing his determined character.

The political effect of the book was to give the public a clear view of where the nation was headed, and thus a sense of security. Although many people voiced their opposition to what Lee stood for, they could direct those opinions against concrete positions.