Yunfei Ran
The government started out with two sticks; one is the pen and the other gun; the latter kills off body and the former off thoughts. Besides, pens could produce words of mendacity, disguising and justifying the massive and indiscriminate killings caused by guns. The jungle government (by translator: referring to the current Chinese regime, meaning it came from peasant uprising) is also infatuated with the belief that regime comes from guns, and hitherto resists the ballot-based and peaceful completion. Therefore, it cares a lot about its private guarding team, Schutzstaffel, one that is maintained by the money from taxpayers; only because of doing so could the ruling group keep maximizing its interests.
In the devastating earthquake taking place in Wen Chuan, it seems the performance of army was overlooked, but all could sense, from the anger of Premier Wen in barely controlling the soldiers, the paradox that the party commanding the gun and the non-nationalized army. Therefore what he could only do was throw out a word to the army to vent his anger, saying that “it’s the people who are feeding you, do as you see fits”, and turn around. As a matter of fact, their performance was even worse. They did enter fast, but with little professional skills of rescuing; except for an immediate arrival, their performance was no better than local police, not to speak of local firemen. Of course, ordering the army to conduct rescue per se is tantamount to thinking light of professional techniques of rescuing. A country dispossessing an outstanding professional team of rescuing and meanwhile refusing international aid, the result was undeniably missing of golden time to salvage the suffers and causing more innocent deaths which would have been avoided had been a better team present on time.
As China spends not a small amount on military, the strength of Chinese army is hence exaggerated in the world, which greatly excites those nationalists. But how is the fact? Military expense does cost a lot; payment to officers and soldiers has been raised. But is the military strength really upgraded? I am afraid we cannot be too optimistic. In dealing with unarmed people, they are undoubtedly unrivaled in bravery, but when it comes down to “real swords and spears”, especially the modernized war, in which they need to resist enemies, I am afraid they are another form of shoddy construction. No matter how awful their performance is, they are praised and no media can criticize them. Looking at such a greenhouse-protected army, coupled with assorted unstoppable corruptions, how much you could count on them? If the war is exploded, it is no more than day-dreaming to depend on them to fight against Russia’s consistent crudity and North Korea’s kidnapping and the growing-up of Japan. I am not nationalist or nation-supremacist, nor do I advocate war. In contrary, I stand for negotiation, for peace, and I support any effort of peacefulness and justice for defending the interests of a country by any means of diplomacy. Even so, a well-trained and civilized force is still indispensable if the interests of a country are to be protected.
What is a civilized force? It’s one that embraces the taxpayers with great kindness, one that never points the bayonet to its own people. A civilized force does not come to being under the propaganda of party doctrine, or if the soldiers are prevented from accessing internet; nor could it be made by a tough physical training resulting in more brawn than brain. Training of the soldiers into those strong in the body but light in the head equates only with self-mutilation, which will ultimately jeopardize the government itself. Concerning the several battles happened after 1949, let’s lay aside, for the time being, the topic of justice, and look at the effects of these battles only; in which one did they win clean? Other than fiascos, only devastating victories were left. The army and popular morale accumulated through civil war has been far already exhausted; it is of great delusion to think of relying on Schutzstaffel and rejecting nationalization of the army as a means to keep ruling the country for ever.
The Wen Chuan earthquake was only a small test for the army, but problems have already been apparently noticed such as poor in fighting and training. Quality of the air plane, for instance, was so bad that one could not find any word for it. Especially the fallen plane, in view of those at the scene, it was like driving a tractor up to sky; how could it not fall down. In addition, one could get speechless on seeing the shoes of the soldiers; all were soaked in the rain of May that they had to use the donated sanitary towel as insole. It might be fine to rescue with such military outfit, but if they are faced up with real fighting, it will not be a small problem. Relying on such fooled soldiers—whose bodies are trained whereas brain deformed (meaning severely brainwashed)—to safeguard the country, we taxpayers cannot resist questioning. Nationalized army is the symbol of the civilized country, and is the cornerstone of a stable and safe society. A country whose army is not nationalized but only being Party-privatized Schutzstaffel will possibly deprive its people of being able to lead a life of happiness and dignity, which seem only day-dream for them.