COME TOGETHER:The DPP chairman also urged KMT lawmakers to stop blocking DPP proposals to amend regulations aimed at preventing monopolies
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said he supported a planned sit-in protest against media monopoly in Taipei on New Year’s Eve by university students.
Su also urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) not to block the DPP legislative caucus’ proposal to amend three legislations on media regulation, which is aimed at preventing media monopoly.
The Youth Alliance Against Media Monsters, which had organized two massive protests in the last six months against media monopoly, will stage an overnight sit-in protest at Liberty Square on Monday night to urge the government to reject the controversial Next Media Group deal.
On his Facebook page, Su said he admired the students’ spirit of justice, sacrificing their time to celebrate the New Year to focus on public issues.
“An alarming trend that deserves our attention is that more Taiwanese companies operating in China are buying media outlets in Taiwan, beginning with the Want Want China Times Group’s purchase of the China Times newspaper and the CtiTV several years ago,” Su wrote.
The public, in particular student groups and academic institutions like Academia Sinica, has expressed their concern over media monopoly and erosion of democracy, Su said.
“However, it appears that the government — and only the government — does not sense that anything is wrong,” he said.
Since the legislature’s Procedure Committee has passed the DPP’s proposal to amend the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法), the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法) and the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), Su called on the KMT to devote its efforts toward promoting concrete legislation rather than blocking the amendments.
“Safeguarding the freedom of speech requires interparty collaboration,” he said.