Cho Jung-tai Opposes Political Party Consultation for Public Television Service Board, Citing 'Double Barrier'
Premier Cho Jung-tai expressed opposition to using political party consultations to decide the Public Television Service (PTS) board, arguing it's political interference in independent media and creates a 'double barrier' with review committee recommendations and party-proportional appointments.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 12:52
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 13:02 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 06:01 (16h 59m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Taipei, May 12, CNA Reporter Chen Chun-Hua) Legislators have expressed opposition to using political party consultations to decide the Public Television Service (PTS) board, questioning whether it constitutes political interference in independent media. Premier Cho Jung-tai stated today that review committee members are recommended by political parties, which is a barrier before the Legislative Yuan exercises its right of consent. He believes that requiring the Ministry of Culture to adopt party proportionality or recommendations before the list of nominees constitutes a 'double barrier,' which does not prove beneficial for an independent cultural communication institution.
Today, the Legislative Yuan continued its interpellation session. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Pei-yi questioned why the 8th PTS board has been stalled. On May 7, during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Lo Chih-chiang questioned the eligibility of PTS Chairperson Hu Yuan-hui to attend the interpellation and requested Hu Yuan-hui to leave before the meeting. However, DPP Legislators Chen Hsiu-pao and Wu Pei-yi demanded Hu Yuan-hui's presence for interpellation. Committee convener, KMT Legislator Lo Ting-wei, and others deemed it illegal, suspending interpellation four times for 'recess' and refusing to allow Hu Yuan-hui to speak.
Wu Pei-yi stated that the most important aspect of PTS is its independence, and she opposes using political party consultations to decide the PTS board, calling it outright political interference in independent media. She asked Cho Jung-tai if he could accept the PTS board being formed through political consultations.
Cho Jung-tai responded that PTS is inherently an independent cultural institution and therefore its independence must be maintained. He noted that review committee members are recommended by political parties, which is a barrier before the Legislative Yuan exercises its right of consent. Now, to also insist on the Ministry of Culture adopting party proportionality or recommendations before the nominee list is a 'double barrier,' which does not prove beneficial for an independent cultural communication institution.
Cho Jung-tai stated that the 8 review committee members recommended by the Legislative Yuan resigned for various reasons, causing the process to halt. He hopes the Legislative Yuan can recommend 8 new review committee members, and after the review committee convenes, they can review qualifications and then submit them to the Legislative Yuan for the exercise of the right of consent. This, he said, is the correct path.
Cho Jung-tai added that before the process is completed, the administrative affairs of PTS still need to be presided over by someone. Therefore, according to the Foundations Act, Hu Yuan-hui must adhere to his duties. (Editor: Su Lung-chi) 1150512
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(Taipei, May 12, CNA Reporter Chen Chun-Hua) Legislators have expressed opposition to using political party consultations to decide the Public Television Service (PTS) board, questioning whether it constitutes political interference in independent media. Premier Cho Jung-tai stated today that review committee members are recommended by political parties, which is a barrier before the Legislative Yuan exercises its right of consent. He believes that requiring the Ministry of Culture to adopt party proportionality or recommendations before the list of nominees constitutes a 'double barrier,' which does not prove beneficial for an independent cultural communication institution.
Today, the Legislative Yuan continued its interpellation session. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Pei-yi questioned why the 8th PTS board has been stalled. On May 7, during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Lo Chih-chiang questioned the eligibility of PTS Chairperson Hu Yuan-hui to attend the interpellation and requested Hu Yuan-hui to leave before the meeting. However, DPP Legislators Chen Hsiu-pao and Wu Pei-yi demanded Hu Yuan-hui's presence for interpellation. Committee convener, KMT Legislator Lo Ting-wei, and others deemed it illegal, suspending interpellation four times for 'recess' and refusing to allow Hu Yuan-hui to speak.
Wu Pei-yi stated that the most important aspect of PTS is its independence, and she opposes using political party consultations to decide the PTS board, calling it outright political interference in independent media. She asked Cho Jung-tai if he could accept the PTS board being formed through political consultations.
Cho Jung-tai responded that PTS is inherently an independent cultural institution and therefore its independence must be maintained. He noted that review committee members are recommended by political parties, which is a barrier before the Legislative Yuan exercises its right of consent. Now, to also insist on the Ministry of Culture adopting party proportionality or recommendations before the nominee list is a 'double barrier,' which does not prove beneficial for an independent cultural communication institution.
Cho Jung-tai stated that the 8 review committee members recommended by the Legislative Yuan resigned for various reasons, causing the process to halt. He hopes the Legislative Yuan can recommend 8 new review committee members, and after the review committee convenes, they can review qualifications and then submit them to the Legislative Yuan for the exercise of the right of consent. This, he said, is the correct path.
Cho Jung-tai added that before the process is completed, the administrative affairs of PTS still need to be presided over by someone. Therefore, according to the Foundations Act, Hu Yuan-hui must adhere to his duties. (Editor: Su Lung-chi) 1150512
Stand with the facts, every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
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Text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.