Mobilize, Mobilize, How Many Crimes Committed in Thy Name！
By Chen Kuo-hsiang
The Storm Media, March 3, 2023
Recently, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) released a revised draft of the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act. The text of the draft provides that once the president issues a National Mobilization Decree in response to war in the future “for dealing with news and disinformation,” local governments are required to comply in demanding the publishing industry, radio and television industry, online platforms, application service providers and news practitioners to conduct investigations, calculations, organization and planning,” and implement necessary control on practitioners. This draft is suspected to be under the guise of mobilization for the sake of news control. It seems to be the resurrection of the Digital Intermediary Services Act that was tried and failed last year.
What is shocking is that the original act stipulates that during the “mobilization preparatory stage,” the government shall investigate and control the public and private telecommunication equipment manufacturers and telecommunications enterprises. The draft of the Act adds a new Article 15 for exercising investigation, calculations, organization and planning of the media. The proposed Article 33 also requires that in the “mobilization implementation stage,” the government, for the sake of military security and conducting military actions, shall exercise necessary control of publication enterprises, television and broadcasting networks, internet application services providers, and their practitioners. Such strict media and communication control, including all content and personnel, is tantamount to the era of martial law. The most critical question lies in the definition of “mobilization preparatory stage,” there are many things the government can do in this stage. Just the investigation, calculations, and planning of the media are enough to put pressure on the media, and the land mines of punishment may be accidentally stepped on. How can it not have a chilling effect? As for what constitutes false information, it is completely determined by the administration, leaving the media and its workers at their mercy.
This new article formulated by the MND has a strong military management mentality. It even authorizes the National Communications Commission (NCC) to work with the Ministry of Culture to formulate controlling measures of mass communication business and their workers during the mobilization implementation stage. Based on the needs of the “cognitive warfare,” which have been repeatedly emphasized by the ruling authorities, to counter foreign influences, they can start to put the media under the sword at any time. Last year, the NCC promoted the draft of the Digital Intermediary Services Act, intending to use various methods to control information and opinion on the media network. Due to the excessive expansion of administrative discretionary power and serious violation of the people’s freedom of speech, it was strongly criticized and had to be stopped. The new media’s portrayal of young voters’ dissatisfaction with the ruling party is considered an important reason for this. On the other hand, some people are worried about whether the authorities will go ahead and announce that they have entered the mobilization preparatory stage on the grounds of strengthening the defense of the country, but, in fact, their goal is to play the role of “big brother” under the law.
The MND proposed the bill by using the trick of mobilization, which is actually abusing the concept of emergency mobilization itself. According to the Constitution, when the country enters the state of war, the president can issue an emergency decree. Now the stage before the war breakout can be called the “preparatory period,” that is, the media can be controlled according to this law at any time. In fact, freedom of the press is an indispensable key aspect in democracy. Even in wartime, free press has not been completely closed. What’s more, in non-war periods, the monitoring role of political parties and media can be exercised under the pretext of “preparatory” needs and interferes with people’s right to know, which really contradicts the basic principles of democracy. If the new law is used as an instrument to attack dissidents, restrict news contents, interfere with news sources, dictate the direction of media reports and discourses, and force the media to strengthen self-restraint and censorship, the extremely harmful aftermath can be foreseen.
In the past mobilization and anti-Communist era, although we never entered the state of war mobilization, the ruling authorities had used mobilization rules to restrict democracy and freedom. The hearts of the older generation still have palpitations when they hear the word “mobilization.” If the mobilization is due to war, the media should cooperate; but if the mobilization is extended to the “preparatory” stage and free press is restricted, it will be preposterous. It is hoped that the ruling authorities will exercise restraint in their use of power, carefully define the timetable and scope of mobilization, and refrain from implementing extraordinary measures in normal times and exerting governance over the media under the excuse of preparation for mobilization.
In revolutionary times, freedom was abused for revenge and vendetta, resulting in many crimes. In an era when national security is potentially threatened by foreign forces, preparatory mobilization may also be abused by those in power, turning it into a pretext of violating civil rights and free speech. Those in power must keep in mind: Mobilization, mobilization, how many crimes have been committed in thy name!
Update: The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced draft amendments to the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act, which generated controversies including students going to the battlefield, making weapons, and suppressing news. Premier Chen Chien-jen announced that the case be suspended after the preview period of 14 days in light of public opinion.