The Executive Yuan yesterday “condemned” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators for storming the National Communications Commission (NCC) building during its review of cases related to Mirror News.
The NCC was yesterday to review the news channel’s applications for changes in management, corporate guidelines and licenses, as well as its application to be aired on channel 86 on cable.
KMT lawmakers have questioned the process by which the commission granted the broadcasting license to Mirror News, and asked the commission to halt its reviews until all issues have been addressed.
Photo: CNA
After holding a news conference at the entrance to the NCC building yesterday morning, KMT lawmakers rushed into the building to attempt to stop the commissioners’ meeting.
The commissioners, meeting over videoconferencing, ruled to continue the reviews at a later date, as they wanted to hear directly from new Mirror News chairman David Cheng (鄭優) on his plan to manage the channel, NCC Secretary-General Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said.
Cheng requested medical leave last week as he was advised by doctors to avoid any public appearance after a recent surgery, Huang said.
He added that the continuance was not related to the lawmakers’ protest.
“As an independent agency, we will not allow any external pressure to disrupt our review of cases,” Huang said. “Lawmakers should respect the commission’s authority to review the cases independently.”
The commission was required to review the Mirror News applications yesterday as the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法) requires government agencies to complete the review of cases within a designated period of time, he said.
Although Cheng requested medical leave last week, the commissioners could have decided if yesterday’s meeting was to proceed without or without his testimony, he said.
The NCC said in a statement that “it is unacceptable that lawmakers intruded into government offices, interrupted proceedings of a meeting and asked the government agency to cancel meetings and intervene in review of an individual case.”
Acting Executive Yuan spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said that the NCC followed the act in reviewing cases within the stated deadline.
As such, all lawmakers should respect the commission’s right to exercise its authority, Lo said.
“We also solemnly condemn certain KMT lawmakers for breaking into the NCC building and intervening in the review of an individual case,” he said. “It sets a negative example with legislators publicly intervening in the operation of an independent agency.”
The KMT should restrain its members, he added.
KMT caucus whip Tseng Ming-tsung (曾銘宗) accused the Executive Yuan of intervening in the operation of the commission, adding that the party would continue to oversee the NCC’s review of Mirror News.
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