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Ma urges military to be honest

Aboriginal Air Force pilot Chen Ching-lung, right, receives the insignia for his promotion to the rank of general from Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: LIU HSIN DE, TAIPEI TIMES

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday urged the military to be honest following a string of scandals, emphasizing that restoring military discipline and fighting corruption top his agenda.

Ma said that despite the cross-strait detente, Beijing still had more than 1,000 short and medium-range missiles targeting Taiwan. The armed forces must stay alert and train to be a small, but strong army to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the East Asia region, he said.

Ma made the remarks while attending a promotion ceremony for military officials in Taipei.

Twenty-five senior military officers were promoted to lieutenant general and major general during the ceremony, the smallest group to be promoted in the past decade.

Among them, Navy Department of Education and Training Commander-in-Chief Lee Hao (李皓) was promoted to vice admiral and the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Justice Director Hsu Ching-chiang (?? became a lieutenant general.

Air Force Mirage fleet’s Deputy Chief Chen Jin-lung (陳金龍) became the first Aboriginal pilot from to be promoted to general.

“My promotion is recognition of my contribution to the Air Force and that of all Aborigines in the military. It shows that everyone has the chance to become a general if they work hard,” Chen said.

The promotions will become effective on July 1.

Ma said he had three expectations for the armed forces.

First, he hoped to see high-ranking military officers set a good example.

“The stars on your shoulders represent your country and honor,” he said. “They cannot be illegally obtained or abused, or their radiance would become clouded.”

In the past, Ma said, a small number of military officers had secured personal gain at the expense of the country’s honor, sabotaging the reputation of the military and delivering a significant blow to its morale.

“We cannot tolerate such acts,” he said. “The military must realize that promotion must be gained fairly, justly and in an open process, and not through the personal preferences of their supervisors.”

Second, Ma said the armed forces must “restore their glorious traditions” and remain honest.

“Honesty is the best policy,” he said. “I don’t want to see any more fake official papers, fake target shooting reports or fake scores.”

Ma, however, encouraged the military to stand up for themselves.

Taking the example of a military simulation last month, Ma said he was on a state visit to Central America when the exercise was held. He was irked by media reports when he returned that he had participated at the event and that his return had changed the outcome of the drill. He complained that it took the Ministry of National Defense three days to set the record straight.

Thirdly, Ma emphasized the importance of physical strength, saying it was the basis of national power.

Ma, an avid jogger, said that he was glad to see most military officers could finish a 3km run in 15 minutes.
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