China's law officials have voiced approval of the weekend national
judicial examination, saying it will bring about an improvement in
the overall quality of the nation's legal professionals and promote
integrity in law enforcement.
"The national judicial examination will provide a route for
talented people of high-quality to become judges, prosecutors or
lawyers," said Liu Yang, vice-minister of justice over the weekend.
"These professions are based on the same legal principles and share
the same general legal structure. This will be conducive to the
integrity of China's legal system, strengthen the authority of law,
and help improve the work of judges, prosecutors and lawyers."
"The key to the achievement of these kinds of changes will be the
improving quality of the professionals in the field," added
Liu.
"The national judicial examination is an important step in the
development of the modern judicial system in China," echoed Zhu
Mingshan, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court.
The weekend test was the first in what is to be an annual event. It
has replaced the former separate qualification examinations for
judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
Statistics from the Ministry of Justice indicate that more than
360,000 people entered their names for the two-day test, the
majority of them being graduates from law schools.
Candidates were tested on their knowledge on the Constitution,
legal theory, economic law, international law, international
private law and international economic law as well as ethics. Apart
from textbook knowledge, application of the law to actual cases
also made up an important part of the examination.
"The national judicial examination has changed the past situation
when anyone could become a judge or prosecutor," said Zhu. "There
is now a basis for achieving judicial fairness, with the quality of
judges guaranteed."
To
make up for the shortage of law professionals following the
"cultural revolution" (1966-76) during which China's judicial
system was virtually wiped out, the nation's courts and
procuratorates had to hire non-professionals with limited
understanding of the law and then provided them with training in
the 1980s.
Perhaps no one feels the pressure of change better than Xiao Suling
and her colleagues.
"I
am feeling a little nervous," said Xiao, who works with the human
resources department in Beijing People's Procuratorate, shortly
before the test. "If I do not pass the test, I cannot be assigned
as a prosecutor."
But even if she passes the test, it will only be the first step in
Xiao's dream of becoming a prosecutor. Both the Supreme People's
Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate have said that
candidates who have passed the national judicial examination still
need to get more training tailored to their particular positions
and prove their competence in follow-up tests given by the court
and the procuratorate to get appointed.
(China
Daily April 1, 2002)