Whether CtiTV fulfills its allotted role is a matter of government oversight and market forces, but to say that not renewing the station’s license is tantamount to the government slamming a lid on freedom of expression is overly self-important and an insult to the judgement of the mainstream public.

Freedom of expression in democratic political systems is de rigueur in free societies, as well as a basic right guaranteed by constitutions.

Taiwan New Constitution Foundation chairman Koo Kwang-ming, front row center, foundation director Michelle Wang, front row right, and other members attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

The Taiwan New Constitution Foundation yesterday said it would call for constitutional interpretations and is considering submitting other referendum proposals, following the rejection on Friday of its two referendum proposals on constitutional reform.

On Oct. 6, the UN Committee on Human Rights released a statement on the concentration camps in China’s Xinjiang region in which at least 1 million Uighurs and other ethnic minorities are incarcerated. On the same day, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) was telling delegates at a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meeting that “happiness among the people in Xinjiang is on the rise.”

It was a stark reminder of the CCP’s longstanding practice of trampling on human rights and deceiving the world.