The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) defended its latest proposal for a new law regulating media ownership and investment in local media outlets, and urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to examine the amendments to the anti-media-monopolization acts it has proposed.
“The DPP’s proposed amendment is problematic and lacks thorough consideration. The KMT supports regulations against media monopolization, and we have therefore proposed establishing a law that specifically addresses the issue. How is this obstruction of anti-media monopolization?” KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said.
The DPP has proposed amendments to the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) and the Cable Television Act (有線電視法) to establish a regulatory framework for media acquisitions and to restrict cross-sector media monopolization, with the aim of ensuring editorial independence, media professionalism and social responsibility.
The KMT backtracked from its previously declared support for the amendments and voted them down in a plenary session on Friday.
Yin declined to discuss the KMT’s flip-flop on the issue and instead asked the DPP to review its proposed amendments, saying it has various flaws, including omitting regulations that banned political parties, the government and the armed forces from owning media companies.
He dismissed the DPP’s criticism that the KMT’s last-minute U-turn reflected the government’s desperation to downplay the “Fury Rally” launched by the DPP today, and accused the DPP of making groundless accusation against the government without offering solutions to the issues it raised.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is scheduled to visit former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) mausoleum in Taoyuan County this morning, and will not make any remarks in response to the rally against his administration.
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said the president did not arrange any meetings with Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) or other top government officials today to respond to the rally.
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