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Want Want monopoly
threatens democracy
By Nat Bellocchi ¥Õ¼Ö±T
This week, Christians have celebrated Christmas and much of the world will
celebrate the Western New Year. This is usually a time for people around the
world to be thankful. We are of course thankful for the blessings we have
received during the past year, but there is also a lot of pain, anguish and
uncertainty.
In the US, we have to deal with the pain and anguish caused by the shooting at
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the Middle East, there
is continued civil strife in Syria and unrest in Egypt. And in the Far East,
there is tension surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands (³¨³½¥x) and the South China Sea
caused by China¡¦s aggressive behavior toward its neighbors, while the people of
Tibet and East Turkestan continue to suffer under harsh and repressive Chinese
rule.
In Taiwan, people were fortunate not to be faced with natural or man-made
disasters this year as nature kept devastating typhoons and earthquakes away
from Taiwan¡¦s shores. The year has been relatively peaceful.
However, there are worrying clouds gathering that need the attention of
Taiwanese and their international friends.
This is particularly true of the erosion of press freedom in Taiwan brought
about by the takeover of China Network Systems¡¦ cable TV network by the Want
Want China Times Group in September and ¡X even more ominously ¡X the purchase of
the Next Media Group, which includes the Apple Daily, by the same Want Want
group controlled by chairman Tsai Eng-meng (½²l©ú).
This takeover would be alright if Tsai was a pro-democracy media magnate who
respected the freedom of the press and journalistic and editorial independence.
However, Tsai has not hesitated to display his support for the repressive rulers
in Beijing and has time and again interfered in reporting and editing in the
media under his control. The Committee to Protect Journalists and numerous other
respected organizations have voiced concerns over the takeover.
The problem is, that with these new purchases, the Want Want group controls
about 50 percent of all printed and electronic media in Taiwan ¡X a serious
situation under even normal circumstances.
This is a media monopoly in the making.
However, Taiwanese are not living under ¡§normal¡¨ circumstances: Their country is
being claimed by a giant neighbor and most countries around the world do not
accord it diplomatic recognition out of fear of that neighbor.
So, given that background, it would be prudent for the responsible regulatory
agencies ¡X the Fair Trade Commission and the National Communications Commission
¡X to think twice before they approve this sale.
If Taiwan is to remain a free and democratic country, it needs to ensure that
the basic elements of freedom and democracy remain in place. It is therefore
essential that Taiwan¡¦s media do not gradually slide into the control of a
conglomerate that is so obviously susceptible to pressures from Beijing.
Free news media is consistently thought of as a critical component of a true
democracy and it must be protected. During the American Revolution, one famous
¡§reporter¡¨ in 1775, Paul Revere, is said to have alerted patriots that ¡§the
British are coming,¡¨ before an impending attack.
Plenty of people in Taiwan are clear what could be coming next year.
Nat Bellocchi is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. The
views expressed in this article are his own.
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