Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday urged the Legislative Yuan to expedite changes to the Organic Law that would allow the Cabinet to abolish the Government Information Office (GIO) -- the controversial agency that acts both as the mouthpiece for the Executive Yuan and as the regulating body for the country's media.
"According to Cabinet's amendment bill of the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan (
"It will be implemented after consent is obtained from the legislature," he added. The amendment also suggests downsizing the Cabinet from its current 35 administrative entities into 23, plus four special commissions.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Yu made his remarks when answering lawmakers' questions at the interpellation session.
He emphasized that the government retains the DPP's long-held belief of maintaining freedom of speech. The government also believes that monitoring of the media should be left to members of the media themselves, with the help of civilian watchdog groups.
"We hope to establish a non-partisan national communication commission, which is similar to the United States' Federal Communications Commission, to take over the GIO's existing operations of governing the country's broadcasting, television and telecommunications businesses," he said.
According to DPP lawmaker Lo Wen-chia's (
The agency has been the cause of controversy recently over its plans to authorize a private organization to monitor and report on the performance of the press. Opposition lawmakers complained that the government would use the monitoring agency to suppress the freedom of the press.
In the face of such criticism, the DPP's legislative caucus suggested on Thursday that the government set up a "Cabinet's spokesman office" to replace the GIO and shift all of the agency's staff and responsibilities to other cabinet entities.
President Chen Shui-bian's
Then yesterday, the premier declared the government's determination to get rid of the GIO and urged the opposition parties to stop boycotting the amendment to the law that would allow the downsizing of the Executive Yuan.
GIO Director-General Arthur Iap (
"The policy (of abolishing the GIO) fully meets the democratic trend," Iap said.
However, Iap reaffirmed the government's resolution to facilitate the legislation of a new law to monitor the print media, stressing that the public's expects the government to regulate false reporting, pornography and advertising.
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