Legislature scraps Public Television board extension rule

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Despite opposition from the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Legislature has passed amendments that abolish provisions allowing Public Television Service (PTS) board members to remain in office after their terms expire.

The amendments cleared the Legislative Yuan on Friday in a 59-49 vote, with lawmakers from the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) using their numerical advantage to delete the so-called "indefinite extension" clause from the Public Television Act.

Under the previous law, board members whose terms had ended could continue serving until new appointees formally took office, a mechanism critics said enabled prolonged extensions and weakened governance.

The current PTS board's term expired in May 2025, but a new board has yet to be fully reconstituted, as nominations have not completed the statutory review process.

Both KMT lawmaker Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) and the TPP caucus proposed the amendments, arguing that the extension clause distorted governance and undermined the network's professionalism and independence.

Although cross-party negotiations on the bill concluded on Jan. 13, the dispute over the extension clause was left unresolved and sent to the full chamber for a vote.

During the floor debate, TPP lawmaker Liu Shu-bin (劉書彬) said abolishing the rule would prevent "perpetual board members" and help safeguard the broadcaster's independence.

DPP lawmaker Fan Yun (范雲) criticized the move, warning that the amendments could paralyze board operations by deterring qualified candidates because they might not want to go through the partisan wrangling that would inevitably result to fill the PTS board.

Under the law, the PTS board consists of 11 to 15 directors and three to five supervisors, all of whom must be approved by a review committee composed proportionally of party representatives, with a two-thirds majority required.

The Ministry of Culture announced 14 director and five supervisor nominees on Dec. 17, but only four director candidates were approved at the first review meeting on Dec. 31.

In response to Friday's development, Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said the current stalemate amounts to political interference in the media, which he described as regrettable.

Li said he would study whether any remedial measures are available or seek an interpretation from the Ministry of Justice.

PTS is Taiwan's sole publicly funded broadcaster and is required by law to operate independently of political parties and government control while serving the public interest.

The prolonged stalemate over board appointments has raised concerns about governance stability and editorial independence amid Taiwan's highly polarized political environment, as the board plays a central role in overseeing management, budgets and editorial direction.