Taiwan’s Defence Minister Kao Hua-chu resigned over the death of a national service man who was punished for having a mobile phone with a camera.
‘Hung Chung-chiu's death sparked an outcry on the island, with thousands of protesters demanding an investigation.’ BBC. The tradition of Confucianist honour and accountability is still prevalent in Taiwan and the Minister Defence found it honourable and responsible to take the full blame for the death of the soldier. It has to be as the death was too big an issue to be swept under the carpet or to pass the buck down to the junior officers. To have a senior military officer to take the fallout was also found unacceptable. Only the Defence Minister was fit and appropriate to shoulder such a responsibility.
In today’s context, when children are sparse and few, and national service is a compulsion, not voluntary or an occupation, the seriousness of the death of a national service man is more pronounced and glaring. The parents sent their sons to be trained to defend the country, to die fighting for the country, not to die through negligence or abuse by his officers, or uncalled for accidents and mistakes.
The ministers or military officers of Taiwan are not paid outrageously well. To them, public service is an honour itself. And they take their jobs seriously and honourably and will own up and accept responsibility when it is due. It is not a case of collecting big bucks but with no responsibility or no accountability to failures or mistakes of their subordinates.
Say what you like, there is honour in the man (the Defence Minister) and honour in the service. Kao Hua-chu’s resignation brought respect to himself and to the Taiwanese govt. No matter how high is the position, no one escapes and can hope to walk away by patting his backside as if nothing happens when a serious mistake or failure occurred. High office and big pay must come with great responsibility and accountability. How nice if one can be sitting in high office, collecting big bucks and no need to be accountable for any failure or mistake.
Chua Chin Leng AKA Redbean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/