Questioning the qualifications of its nominees, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday requested that the pan-blue camp re-nominate their "inappropriate" candidates for the review committee of National Communications Commission (NCC) members.
"We're sorry to see the candidates of the NCC review committee nominated by the pan-blue camp because they are either party members or former politicians," DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said. "It is clear that they intend to extend their political muscle to the professional and independent body."
Lai said the reason that the pan-green camp strongly opposed the pan-blue alliance's version of the NCC law, including two violent clashes, was that they were worried that the self-governing body would be manipulated by political forces.
"I'm afraid our apprehensions may soon come true," he said.
Jao Yung-ching (
Taking Wang Chung-yu (
"I have no idea why he has anything to do with the NCC," Jao said.
The same thing applies to the PFP's two nominees, Jao said. While Norman Yin's (
The two used to serve as PFP legislators-at-large.
KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) said there is nothing wrong with their selections of NCC review committee members because all of them are professionals and can stand the test of public scrutiny.
Pan criticized the DPP for using political power to suppress press freedom and delaying legislation for the National Communications Commission (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法, NCC) law, and is now spreading misleading information to smear the independent and impartial review committee members.
The pan-blue dominated legislature passed the NCC law on Oct. 25, paving the way for the abolition of the Government Information Office (GIO).
Under the law, the NCC will be established under the Executive Yuan as an independent entity. It will be the sole supervisory body for the nation's telecommunications and media industries.
Currently, the media industry is regulated by the GIO while the telecommunications industry falls under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
The bill specifies that the political parties nominate 15 candidates for the NCC committee, with each party's number of selections in proportion to the number of seats they have in the legislature.
The premier nominates three more candidates, for a total of 18 candidates.
An 11-member review committee will then elect 13 NCC members from the pool, with three-fifths of the review committee's consent required.
The review committee will be made up of academics and experts recommended by political parties in proportion to each party's number of seats in the legislature.
The premier will nominate the 13 recommended NCC members seven days after the review committee's selections.
Party nominees for the NCC review committee
1. Democratic Progressive Party
■ Lu Shih-hsiang (盧世祥), founder of the Foundation for the Advancement of Media Excellence (Lu is also an adviser to the Taipei Times)
■ Wu Ching-hsiung (吳靜雄), chairman of the Aviation Safety Council under the Executive Yuan
■ Yuan Chang Chin-fu (張進福), president of National Chi Nan University
■ Feng Chien-san (馮建三), director of the Department of Journalism at National Chengchi University
2. Taiwan Solidarity Union
■ Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), associate research fellow at the Academia Sinica's Institute of Modern History
3. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
■ Shaw Yu-ming (邵玉銘), a national security adviser at the National Policy Foundation -- a think tank founded by the KMT -- and former head of the Government Information Office (GIO)
■ Wang Chung-yu (王鍾渝), former KMT legislator and former president of China Steel Corp
■ Steve Hsieh (薛香川), an economic convenor at the KMT's National Policy Foundation and former head of the National Science Council
■ Tsai Hsung-hsiung (蔡勳雄), executive officer of the KMT's National Policy Foundation and a member of the KMT's Central Standing Committee
4. People First Party (PFP)
■ Norman Yin (殷乃平), banking and finance professor at National Chengchi University and former legislator
■ Thomas Lee (李桐豪), professor of money and banking at National Chengchi University and former legislator Source: DPP caucus
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