Ever since the Ministry of National Defense last week announced it would fund a Taiwanese version of the popular South Korean TV drama Descendants of the Sun, it has come in for a barrage of mockery.
The project is aimed at enhancing the morale of service personnel, cultivating respect for the military and restoring the image of the armed forces, the ministry said.
The bidding process for the NT$12.8 million (US$423,140) 16-episode series has concluded and filming for the show is to begin next month, it said.
Netizens were quick to scorn the idea, with some sneering at the ministry for blindly imitating the South Korean battlefield romance, while others suggested that its soundtrack could — in reference to former premier and general Hau Pei-tsun’s (郝柏村) 2014 performance of the Chinese national anthem at a Chinese event to mark the anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident — feature soldiers singing March of the Volunteers.
Lawmakers also derided the plan, with Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) saying that he hoped the remake would not turn into “regrets under the sun.”
Granted it will take more than a TV series to improve the military’s image and tackle its internal problems, but is all the taunting and shaming really necessary?
Could lawmakers and members of the public not give more support to the ministry’s efforts?
The success in Taiwan of the original TV show drama, which tells the story of a soldier’s romance with a doctor, would be hard for a local series to measure up to, considering that it had a budget of almost NT$385 million.
However, the ministry also has itself to blame in part for the public’s low expectations of its efforts to encourage respect for the military.
With the accidental launching of a Hsiung Feng III missile in July last year, packages of what are believed to be amphetamines discovered last month at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base and media reports of incidents involving service personnel visiting prostitutes and engaging in animal cruelty, the public’s perception of soldiers has plummeted.
Respect for the military is not helped by reports of retired officers making fools of themselves, as was the case when air force general Hsia Ying-chou (夏瀛洲) went drinking with People’s Liberation Army generals, or when lieutenant-general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷) listened attentively to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) warning against Taiwanese “separatism.”
Incidents of this sort have created the impression that the military as a whole lacks a sense of national identity.
Members of the armed forces certainly should be respected for protecting the nation and its people, but they must warrant that respect by exemplifying military ethics and national loyalty.
However, taunting is not constructive criticism, which is what is needed as the military seeks to address various problems, most of which are rooted in leadership and discipline issues.
The mockery aimed at the military, which some might argue is all in jest, is a form of bullying that is not helpful in building self-esteem and morale, let alone in motivating young people to sign up for a military career or inspiring public respect.
Military service is not child’s play in Taiwan — or China — which has never made any secret of its objective of bringing Taiwan into its fold.
It should be everyone’s hope, regardless of their political inclinations, that the nation’s armed forces can regain the public’s trust and confidence. To achieve that, more constructive criticism is welcome, but less jeering is needed.
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