Justice seen to be done

07/05/2003
China Daily

External scrutiny is indispensable to rein in judicial organs and uphold justice, said an Economic Daily article. An excerpt follows:

Recently, two pieces of news relating to the courts system caught the public's attention.

One was the Supreme People's Court's decision to launch a nationwide campaign themed "justice and efficiency" to check the work of the country's law enforcement institutions.

The other was news of a vote of no confidence in a judge in the local court of Panshi, Northeast China's Jilin Province, who accepted a meal hosted by a litigant in a case he had presided over.

These two events have been met with applause by the public. People hope and expect to see down-to-earth measures for upholding justice and stopping malpractice by judges.

The court needs not only self-discipline, but also supervision from outside.

All individuals or institutions should be accountable and subject to some kind of scrutiny, internal or external, because unchecked power will inevitably lead to corruption.

Keeping an eye on any person or institution according to law is the very reason behind the existence of law enforcement bodies and also its function. Law enforcement institutions themselves should be no exception.

While it is necessary to improve internal supervision, outside supervision is of equal importance to law enforcement organs.

It is lax external scrutiny and a lack of effective avenues that have, in part, contributed to the current levels of corruption within law enforcement, its impaired quality of justice and low efficiency.

The people's congresses at all levels and the media are two major outside supervisory organs, so their role should be strengthened.

Being open to external supervision, sincerely and effectively, is the best manifestation of a law enforcement institution's genuine desire to pursue justice and efficiency.

My brother's keeper

Citizens should strengthen their sense of social responsibility, urged an article in Jiefang Daily. An excerpt follows:

The fight against SARS demonstrates that the interests of individuals and the whole society are indivisible. A citizen's awareness of his or her responsibility to society is fundamental to maintaining social harmony and stability.

Since SARS is a newly emerged epidemic, people do not have an all-around knowledge of it. The main effective measures for preventing and controlling SARS is to discover, isolate and treat patients as early as possible to cut the path of virus transmission.

This requires the close and active co-operation of every citizen - including SARS patients.

To win this special war, hospitals, the government, communities and other social units have all worked out a string of regulations and measures. If a SARS patient or suspected patient is found, large scale disinfection, isolation of the patient and observation of those who have had close contact with the patient will be carried out.

Strict measures of prevention and control of the epidemic will unavoidably disrupt people's normal lives and bring about inconvenience. An individual's personal activities might have to be curtailed for the sake of the public good. Sometimes they may even be required to provide otherwise personal information.

Most people can understand and accept such measures. They co-operate closely with the government and hospitals. More and more people are aware that winning the fight against SARS requires the joint efforts of people from all walks of life. Everyone has to play his or her part.

When an epidemic spreads, protecting ourselves also means the protection of others and the society. It embodies a citizen's responsibility.

However, some people lack such a sense of social responsibility. They cover up the truth and provide false information. Their behaviour causes difficulties for anti-SARS efforts and poses a great threat to public health.

It is hoped that the anti-SARS fight will enhance every citizen's awareness of his or her responsibility to society and their fellow citizens.