preface
A piece of news that made people laugh and cry sparked heated discussions on the island. A former high-ranking military official has been caught in the legal quagmire because of a seemingly insignificant household appliance.
Who is this high-ranking official? Why did he act so unwisely? Is there a deeper question behind this absurd story? Let's walk into this bizarre case together and explore the twists and turns of the story.
The "absurd thing" done by the Taiwan major general
"NT$7,990, about RMB 1,837, sentenced to 12 years!" As soon as the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar. This is not a robbery and murder case, but a major general of the Taiwan Army, who was sentenced to a heavy sentence for embezzling a washing machine.
This major general named Lin Dizhi has a rather imposing name, but because of this absurd incident, he has become the laughing stock of netizens.
It all started back in 2018. At that time, Lin Dizhi held the important position of chief of staff of the Kinmen Defense Command. Perhaps it was the illusion of power, or perhaps the greed of his heart, that he set his sights on a batch of new washing machines purchased by the army.
On the pretext of buying a new item for the deputy chief of staff, he pocketed a washing machine worth NT$7,990.
What is even more ironic is that Lin Dizhi thought he was smart enough to put the washing machine in the office warehouse first, and only after a few days instructed the drivers to transport it to his home in Tainan. The trick of covering his ears and stealing the bell exposed his inner anxiety and uneasiness.
Paper can't contain fire after all. Half a year later, Lin Dizhi's embezzlement of washing machines was exposed. In order to cover up the crime, he repeated his old tricks, bought a washing machine of the same model out of his own pocket and sent it back to the barracks, and took great pains to tell the drivers to "not let others find out."
In order to justify himself, he also shipped the original washing machine to a friend's house and forged a "washing machine storage certificate". A series of operations can be called a textbook-level cover-up crime, but it also exposes his clumsy acting skills and panicked mentality.
In the end, the court sentenced Lin Dizhi to 12 years in prison and deprived of public power for 3 years for embezzlement. As soon as the news came out, public opinion exploded. It is really embarrassing that a dignified major general ruined his future because of a washing machine.
However, behind this farce, should we think about some deeper questions? Is Lin Dizhi's embezzlement a manifestation of distorted personal values, or a microcosm of loopholes in the military management system?
The Death of the System Behind Greed
Lin Dizhi's path to politics finally encountered Waterloo in front of the washing machine. This can't help but make people sigh, what kind of values make a general in a high position covet a washing machine for less than 2,000 yuan?
Perhaps, in Lin Dizhi's cognition, public things can be disposed of at will, and it doesn't hurt to be greedy for a little cheap. This disregard for public property and contempt for the law is the embodiment of the distortion of its values.
However, it is clearly not enough to simply place the blame on the individual. Lin Dizhi's embezzlement has also exposed various shortcomings in Taiwan's military management system.
The lack of a regulatory mechanism provides an opportunity for Lin Dizhi's corruption to take advantage of. The fact that no one cares about the whereabouts of a washing machine and that no one supervises it reflects the confusion and laxity of military management.
The excessive concentration of power also provides a fertile ground for corruption. As the chief of staff of the Kinmen Defense Command, Lin Dizhi has a lot of power in the army. The lack of effective restraint and supervision of this kind of power can easily lead to the expansion of personal selfish desires.
The Lin Dizhi incident is like a mirror that reflects the shortcomings of Taiwan's military management system. The army is the great wall of steel of the country, shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting the homeland and defending the country. If corruption is allowed to run rampant, the combat effectiveness and morale of the armed forces will certainly be seriously damaged.
From "a rat droppings" to "a pot of soup"
The Lin Dizhi incident, like a pebble on the surface of a calm lake, stirred up a thousand waves. In addition to ridiculing the absurd behavior of this "major general of the washing machine," people were more worried about whether this was just the tip of the iceberg of corruption in the Taiwan military.
The answer may be frustrating. In recent years, scandals have occurred frequently in Taiwan's armed forces, and corruption cases have emerged one after another. From cases of fraud in the procurement of military uniforms, to embezzlement of public funds by officers, to drug trafficking and smuggling of soldiers, to name a few.
These cases, with varying amounts of money and different circumstances, all point to the same problem: the wind of corruption within the military has reached an alarming level.
It is true that no army can completely eradicate the existence of corruption. However, when the trend of corruption evolves from an isolated phenomenon to a general problem, from "a piece of rat droppings" to "a pot of soup", its harm should not be underestimated.
The army is corrupt and directly damages the image of the army. Soldiers are the guardians of the country and the people. However, when soldiers are mired in corruption, their glorious image will be greatly diminished, and the people's trust in the military will also be reduced.
In the long run, the prestige of the armed forces in the eyes of the people will be lost, and the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the armed forces will also be seriously weakened. In addition, the army is corrupt, eroding the army's combat effectiveness.
If an army is permeated with corruption, extravagance, and indulgence in pleasure, its training level, will to fight, and its fighting style will inevitably be seriously affected.
Just imagine, if the officers and men of an army think all day long about how to fill their own pockets and how to get promoted and make a fortune, instead of how to protect their families and defend the country and how to improve their combat effectiveness, then can this army still be counted on on the battlefield?
What is even more terrifying is that the army is corrupt and shakes the foundation of the country and the nation. The armed forces are the last line of defense for national security and a strong pillar for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. If the armed forces become corrupt and degenerate, national security will be lost, and the great cause of national rejuvenation will come to naught.
It is urgent to rebuild the image of the armed forces
The Lin Dizhi incident has sounded the alarm for us. Corruption in the armed forces is not a trivial matter, but a major matter that has a bearing on the destiny of the country and the nation. It's never too late to make amends. The Taiwan authorities must take resolute measures to severely crack down on corruption in the armed forces and reshape the image of the armed forces.
It is necessary to strengthen ideological and political education in the military and build a strong ideological defense line against corruption and degeneration. It is necessary to educate and guide the broad masses of officers and men to keep firmly in mind the goal of strengthening the army, strengthen their ideals and convictions, strengthen their sense of law and discipline, establish a correct world outlook, outlook on life, and values, consciously resist the corrosive influence of decadent ideas, and always maintain the true qualities of the people's army.
It is necessary to improve the military management system and plug up the loopholes that breed corruption. It is necessary to establish and improve mechanisms for restricting and supervising the exercise of power, strengthen supervision and control over key areas and key posts, cut off the chain of interest transmission, and form an institutional system that does not dare to be corrupt, cannot be corrupted, and does not want to be corrupt.
The original article was published in the Global Times on 2021-11-25 "About" the Chief of Staff of the "Golden Defense Department" of the Front Army Was Exposed to Eating and Drinking with Public Funds, and Stealing the Army's Washing Machine to Go Home for Private Use
It is necessary to strictly investigate and deal with corruption cases to form a strong deterrent. It is necessary to persist in investigating all cases and punishing all corrupt elements, and to investigate to the end the corrupt elements, no matter who they are involved or what positions they hold, and never tolerate or accommodate them.
It is necessary to make corrupt elements pay a heavy price through severe punishment, play a warning and educational role, and form a high-pressure situation of "not daring to be corrupt."
It is necessary to strengthen the building of a culture of honesty and honesty in the armed forces and create a clean and upright political ecology. It is necessary to vigorously carry forward the glorious tradition of supporting the government and loving the people and being brave and good at fighting, and actively cultivate a good atmosphere of respecting honesty and rejecting corruption, being thrifty and abstaining from extravagance, so that honesty and self-discipline will become the military's value pursuit and code of conduct.
The original article was published on Guangming.com2023-08-13About "A former major general of the Taiwan army smuggled the washing machine home and was sentenced to 12 years in prison"
epilogue
The army is the pillar of the country and the hope of the people. Only by completely eliminating the cancer of corruption can we forge a loyal, clean and responsible steel force, and provide a strong guarantee for the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
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