The question of whether Taiwan should abolish capital punishment remains an ultra-divisive topic of debate in local society, as evidenced by the criticisms leveled at Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng Wednesday following her statement that she would rather step down than execute any of the 44 criminals on death row. Wang's remarks came after her deputy Huang Shih-ming -- President Ma Ying-jeou's choice for the top prosecutor's post -- told a legislative hearing on his nomination Monday that while he supports abolition of the death penalty, he thinks that all the convicts on death row should be executed in accordance with the existing law. Families of the crime victims have voiced opposition to Wang's position on the death penalty, while many law enforcement officers have questioned the propriety of the minister's insistence on stays of execution. A public opinion survey conducted Wednesday by a local newspaper also showed that most respondents do not agree with Wang's stance, with more than 40 percent saying she should quit if she does not want to execute court rulings. The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the issue: United Daily News: Only 12 percent of the respondents in the paper's telephone survey Wednesday approved of the proposal to phase out the death penalty, while 74 percent said they were opposed to such a move. The survey of 792 randomly chosen adults also found that a mere 9 percent support stays of execution. Up to 42 percent said Wang should step down because her stance on the death penalty is at odds with majority public opinion, but 35 percent said they see no need for Wang to quit over the issue. Compared with the findings of a similar survey conducted by the newspaper in 2001, opposition to abolition of death penalty has dropped 5 percent, while the percentage of proponents remains almost the same. Meanwhile, 74 percent said that even if the government insists on scrapping capital punishment, the 44 convicts on death row should be executed in line with the current law. Nine percent of the respondents said they support stays of execution and 17 percent did not answer the question. (March 11, 2010). China Times: Commenting on the controversy over the death penalty, Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said the issue is very complicated and there still no public consensus on it. It will require greater effort in the areas of public education and law amendments in order to move toward the goal of abolishing capital punishment, Lo said. The main direction in the future will involve tightening parole requirements and extending maximum prison term limits, he added. President Ma Ying-jeou did not express an opinion on the issue at a dinner with a group of ruling Kuomitnang lawmakers Wednesday. But he mentioned that during his tenure as minister of justice, he had signed orders to execute prisoners on death row. National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chun said that in terms of the rule of law, administrative agencies should faithfully execute court rulings on the death penalty. (March 11, 2010). Liberty Times: Taiwan has not executed any convicts on death row since late 2005. Commenting on Justice Minister Wang's latest reaffirmation that there will be no executions of death row inmates during her tenure, Chao Chang-ping, a Control Yuan member and former prosecutor, said stays of execution will undermine the credibility of the law. Arguing that judges tend to be very circumspect and cautious in handing down death sentences, Chao said once such a verdict is issued, it should be upheld to maintain rule of law. KMT legislative whip Lin Hung-chi said Wednesday that if Wang's personal views on the death penalty do not have majority public support, she should consider relinquishing her post. Lin further said the KMT caucus is open on the issue and will respect general public opinion. (March 11, 2010). 