Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators once again collaborated to vote against the appointments of four new National Communications Commission (NCC) commissioners. This decision has further mired the already dysfunctional agency in uncertainty.
The commission, which regulates online media, broadcast media and telecommunications in the country, has not been able to rule on any case since December last year due to the inability to meet the quorum, which requires a minimum of four NCC members to be present. There are currently only three commissioners.
Some blamed former NCC chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) for the conundrum. It was Chen who restricted the quorum to 50 percent of the statutory number of members, instead of half of the current number of members.
However, KMT and TPP lawmakers should be held accountable for the situation, as they have not only sabotaged the appointments of new commissioners, but also weakened the regulator.
They last year rejected four commissioner candidates nominated by the Executive Yuan, including former NCC deputy chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗), saying that the candidates aligned themselves with the agenda of the pan-green camp. Wong was nominated as commission chairman.
After Wong was appointed acting chairperson by the Executive Yuan, KMT and TPP lawmakers proposed amendments to the National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法), banning commissioners from serving more than two terms and forcing Wong to leave his job in December.
The Executive Yuan in July nominated another set of commissioners: National Cheng Kung University computer science and information engineering professor Chiang Jung-hsien (蔣榮先), Soochow University law professor Cherng Ming-shiou (程明修), National Chengchi University professor Vivian Huang (黃葳威) and Shih Hsin University assistant professor Lo Huei-wen (羅慧雯).
The commission was structured with staggered terms for commissioners to ensure stability of the institution and consistency of communication policies, an NCC official said.
KMT legislators have been using nominees’ opinion on the commission’s decision not to renew the operating license of CTi News as a “litmus test” for their stance on press freedom and media independence.
KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said reforming the NCC requires a structural adjustment, rather than mere personnel change, adding that “the commission had a track record of abusing its authority to harm the freedom of the press.”
The KMT caucus also plans to propose amendments to NCC regulations, he said.
The Executive Yuan should consult opposition lawmakers about possible candidates, he added.
Changes proposed by the KMT include ending the impasse regarding CTi News — the party believes the broadcaster was punished for advocating cross-strait unification — and ensuring that NCC commissioners adopt a light-handed approach in regulating news channels with pro-China agendas.
The NCC said that as of Nov. 7, it had 431 major cases pending, most of which involve deciding on license renewals, changes in management and channel line-ups proposed by broadcast media and cable systems, and determining penalties for those who contravene NCC regulations.
It is also proposing legislation to better manage phone numbers to prevent exploitation by scammers.
With a dysfunctional regulator, people’s complaints against television stations and telecom providers are falling on deaf ears. The blame for this lies squarely with KMT and TPP legislators, who have left the NCC in disarray and could care less about how people feel.
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
On Monday, the day before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) departed on her visit to China, the party released a promotional video titled “Only with peace can we ‘lie flat’” to highlight its desire to have peace across the Taiwan Strait. However, its use of the expression “lie flat” (tang ping, 躺平) drew sarcastic comments, with critics saying it sounded as if the party was “bowing down” to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Amid the controversy over the opposition parties blocking proposed defense budgets, Cheng departed for China after receiving an invitation from the CCP, with a meeting with
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is leading a delegation to China through Sunday. She is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing tomorrow. That date coincides with the anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which marked a cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations. Staging their meeting on this date makes it clear that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends to challenge the US and demonstrate its “authority” over Taiwan. Since the US severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, it has relied on the TRA as a legal basis for all
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
RSS