The combined logistics command (CLC) yesterday played down an incident involving over 200 officers who allegedly applauded President Chen Shui-bian (
Retired military official Pan Jung-kuang (潘榕光), the guest speaker, compared Chen to a man "whose brain could be cured by radiation therapy" while giving lectures on nuclear prevention to officers in October. This yesterday hit the headlines of the Apple Daily, prompting the logistics command to call a press conference the same day.
The incident happened during four different lectures at separate service venues in central and southern Taiwan in October. Pan gave the speeches as a guest speaker. He retired from the military earlier this year and now teaches at a medical college in Taichung.
At the press conference yesterday, the command acknowledged that Pan had indeed made fun of President Chen but said he was only doing it to "catch the listener's attention," who he feared might fall asleep during the dull lectures.
Command political warfare chief Major General Ou Fu-hsing (歐復興), speaking at the news conference, denied that the listening officers had applauded Pan's mockery of President Chen.
The Apple Daily insisted, however, that there had been applause from the listeners after Pan derided President Chen as a man who needed to be cured.
Command officials said in private that the political warfare bureau under the Ministry of National Defense had proposed that the CLC officers be disciplined. There were more than 200 officers who allegedly responded positively to Pan's mockery of President Chen. But the suggestion was not accepted by Minister of National Defense Tang Yian-min (湯曜明).
"The listeners did not give any applause to Pan, except for the applause at the beginning and end of each lecture. It might sound strange that Pan was able to make a mockery of Chen four times. Our understanding is that the officers just took Pan's words as something similar to the disparaging remarks that some politicians love to make on TV talk shows about government leaders," Major General Ou said.
"We did fail to stop Pan's going off the rails. We have disciplined three officials, including a major general, for not shouldering their administrative responsibilities in this matter," Ou said.
"The incident has harmed the military in its efforts to remain politically neutral. We promise that nothing of the kind will ever happen again," he said.
Although the CLC tried to play down the incident, it has no way to stop an undercurrent in the military from emerging, especially in the lead-up to the presidential elections in March. The undercurrent is manifested in cynicism and skepticism among many officers, mostly those of ranks between major and lieutenant colonel.
A senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said these officers have become politically disoriented because of the influence of TV talk shows.
"Take the logistics command incident as an example. It is incredible that over 200 officers with ranks between lieutenant and colonel made no objection to a civilian speaker's mockery of President Chen," the official said.
"These officers are so used to this kind of language particular to TV talk shows that they have lost their judgment," he said.
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