With the presidential election race reaching a new level of intensity, with all the heavyweights taking turns stumping for the candidates they support, two incidents occurred recently that highlight the need for some members of the government to remain neutral and bipartisan through the insanity of the election campaign.
On Wednesday, a Chinese-language newspaper reported a story about a guest lecturer openly making very demeaning remarks -- supposedly a joke -- about the president during a class at the Ministry of National Defense.
Reportedly, he showed a picture of President Chen Shui-bian (
Worse yet, according to the newspaper, the people in the class - -- all military officers -- - cheered and clapped in response to the so-called "joke" about the commander in chief.
The reported response of the officers in question, if true, indicates some very fundamental problems within the military.
Unlike during the martial law era, when people were required to deify the country's leaders, today, as in all other democratic countries, the performance of the president is subject to examination and critique. Naturally, members of the armed forces should be entitled to choose the political parties they support in their private capacities, but while in the military - -- at least while attending public military functions - -- some fundamental respect for the commander in chief must be maintained. Otherwise, it is very difficult for the commander in chief to do his job.
Thanks to decades of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule, during which members of the military were brainwashed into devoting loyalty not only to their country but also to the party, the military remains predominantly pan-blue.
This raises the worrisome question of how well the military can remain neutral in sensitive times such as presidential elections.
If the military supports any party, it will have difficulty maintaining loyalty to the person elected in the event that he or she is not the candidate they had supported. This in turn could lead to a national crisis.
Of course, military personnel are not the only ones who must remain bipartisan. On Wednesday, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Lin Chia-lung (
Lin made the statement after Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
While explaining and defending government policy is the duty of every government official, if this takes place at a campaign rally or other campaign function, it is imperative for government officials such as the minister of justice to stay away.
During a campaign, it is the duty of the Ministry of Justice to crack down on vote-buying. If the minister stumps for any political party, the credibility and the impartiality of the ministry in performing such tasks will surely face serious criticism.
It is fortunate that the Democratic Progressive Party realizes the inappropriateness of such things. Hopefully, all the relevant government officials will from now on have a better grasp of the fact that their duty calls on them to stay neutral at election time.
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