This is an era extremely starved of ideals (骨感), but precisely because of this, our ideals can take flight.
In such an era, what expectations and aspirations do I have for you? I know that a professor from Beijing Normal University once told his students, “If you don’t get 40,000,000 dollars within 10 years after graduation, don’t come and look for me.”
I won’t say the same thing to our graduates.
I don’t hope that you people become prominent elites. I will only say that 10 years from now, if any of you dare to plot against the good and the loyal, I will refuse to let you step across my door, I will refuse to acknowledge you.
You don’t have to be Bao Gong (a historical figure from the Northern Song Dynasty known for his sense of justice), but you cannot frame the innocent and get the loyal and the good into trouble. This is the most basic and minimum baseline to follow and live by.
The above is an extract of a graduation speech by Professor He Bin of China University of Political Science and Law that went viral. Professor He is the Vice Dean and Department Head.
His speech is a dig at the money driven motives of modern Chinese and the widespread ills of corruption and injustice in the Chinese society, where the elite have no qualms to do the innocents in, for their own selfish agenda.
It is a plea and a revelation of how sick a society can be when the elite themselves are sick and abusing the trust and power of their office.
PS: I copied the quotation from an article in The Kent Ridge Common.
7 comments:
You don’t have to be Bao Gong (a historical figure from the Northern Song Dynasty known for his sense of justice), but you cannot frame the innocent and get the loyal and the good into trouble. This is the most basic and minimum baseline to follow and live by.
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Never know that you share the same sentiment with me.
Victim of injustice is everywhere,whether the victim choose to suffer in silence or risk being penalise if they speak up.
Red Bean,I must buy you kopi see siew tai for saying that ,one day.
There may be laws but that does not mean that there will be justice. The powers that be know how to tweak and interpret the laws in their favour. Some say we have no corruption. But others say we have legalised robbery.How to differentiate between the two? The law will go after you and you will be sent to jail if you are caught for pilfering even just only ten cents. But politicians like MPs and ministers can arrogantly march all the way to the bank with their sanctioned millions in remuneration though of course without consultation from the electorate. So is that legal or illegal.Yet politicians are complaining that they are underpaid and their salary is low comparing with successful businessmen like bankers or lawyers. The truth is that all of them or most of them can't earn even a tenth or one twentieth of what they are getting now if they choose to go into the commercial world. Why complain that the money they are getting is not enough? They should go to the market places, the hospitals and the poly clinics and listen to and find out how the thousands of miserable poor people are suffering . It is really very sad to learn that a lot of poor patients forego treatments because they cannot afford high cost of medical fees especially those who are suffering from diabetes, kidney trouble, high blood pressure, cardiac problems and cancer. Why are the politicians so greedy for money? Why can't the government put aside a sum of money to address the problems of the poor.
Next what is justice? Pension is abolished for all civil servants who work all their life for the country but pension is given to politicians like ministers and MPs, though they are only technically on contract to serve the people after each general .election. Singaporeans must ratify this anomaly and make sure politicians do not enjoy fat pension at the expense of the tax payers and the country. This should be an issue in the next general election and opposition parties should seize the opportunity to take the lead.
@anon 11.55pm
It is really very sad to learn that a lot of poor patients forego treatments because they cannot afford high cost of medical fees
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hehe..you are referring to someone like me ah.
I delay going for medical check up though I suspect that I have got diabetes.Not becos I love money but becos poor people like me need enough to spent before I can afford to go for check up,not to say treatment.
You cannot blame people who need high salary in order to serve you.
This is,to me,a matter of upbringing.Didn't you people tell your children to study hard?go for good job with high pay or better still,work with the Cheng Hu and enjoy the iron rice bowl,sleep also can get pay?
So ,can never blame anyone greedy.I suppose they are brought up like dat.
The education system fail,the school cannot teach them the right value,but the family can.
So how?Be like me..
Although gong gong,I am one who use my family power at every Ji kau meh CNY dinner.
Those juniors,nieces or nephews etc of mine who happen to be in the Civil Service are reminded before dinner that if they cannot be like Pao Kong,they should not frame anyone and get the innocent into trouble.No need to craze for promotion,just do their job loyally ,faithfully and responsibly.Do you job without fear or favour...
Be reasonable and understanding,old people have the habit of taking out money when the commit eg,a traffic offence.They are ignorant and forgetful.Dun ever charge them for corruption immediately just for the sake of getting a CP or Commander award.
Tell the offender that bribery is an offence and to keep the money.Unless they stubbornly insist ,then charge them.
Those who cannot agree,no abalone for them(actually I can only afford fake and cheap abalone).
Once a year you people just need to remind them before they become high handed and abuse their power.
That's justice.
Sorry,too kancheong ,last 12th sentence should read as ..dun ever charge them for attempted bribe...instead.
Let's be very clear. Law does not equal to justice. Having very good laws does not protect justice. Lawyer is not there to withhold justice but to make money by representing you to work through the laws, regardless if the outcome is justice or not. Accountability and transparency will better justice. That is why jury system is about. There is no close door trial but open trial for any case. There is no way to abuse the legal system.
There are 2 types of Chinese in PRC after communism. One is nationalists who feel pride about the country and still retain and protect the Chinese culture. The other type is realists who think the communism system has depict of their right to a materialistic lifestyle. This type worships only money and also USA. They have the view that they should now (since the society is more open to free market) make as much money as possible regardless of any means. Their ultimate aim to to make enough money so that they can live in their dream country USA because for some reason most of them think that USA is an ideal country to live. That is why we have many cases of flake milk, flake egg and flake rice. On one hand there is no laws. On the other, we have this type of mentality. China will be a superpower depending on the first type of people. If the second type of people dominant in China, there is doubt China can continue on the current path to grow and become a real superpower.
Good morning guys.
Agongkia, I am also one of those who would not want to be robbed by the people in white robes. I don't go to see doctors or the 100 and one checkups they demanded. I self medicate if needed. If I die I die. Period.
The noble profession has been turned into a very profitable business by all concerned.
There is another profession that thrives on self serving logic. I do my best for my client, and it is the job of the judge to make the judgement. So, I am being honest, perfectly legal, and professional. I earn my money and sleep well. Any mistake, blame the judges.
And you can only answer yes or no. To answer yes or no will make one sound guilty or simply look stupid as many things cannot be answered yes or no. This is a practice to belittle the people when put in front of 'learned' people. They make themselves look and sound damn clever.
As for corruption, the safest thing to say is to scream and swear that there is NO corruption. The next safest thing to do is to handcuff yourself.
The graduates in Singapore as well as our political leaders can forget about Professor He Bin and his exhortation.
Our Sin Political Leadership are made up of incorruptible gentlemen and ladies of repute. From the Presidents to the Grassroot leaders, everyone of them, always have the people's well-beings in their mouths and we the citizens are frequently assured through the Media. Please remember ours' is a squeaky clean society.
As everyone is awared, money can buy justice, so to love money means one loves justice.
True, I too avoid going to the doctor unless Panadol cannot relieve my pain and suffering. However, I do not blame doctors from charging that much as they practice according to guidelines.
Ours' is a well regulated society, whatever that is done within the legal perimeter is justified or justifiable.
Another thing that I do, when sick, is to self medicate and liked Redbean says 'die, die lah'. To be born is to die mah. But do not spread or gets others infected if one is down with a contagious disease. Otherwise, others may die and suffer before You do.
Talking about handcuffing offender, it is one action that I wish the Authority can exercise a little commonsense and not make it a mandatory procedure. If the Laws do not equal Justice, it is also not equal commonsense and conscience in certain enforcement procedures.
It is said that Justice is innate in all humankinds 'gong tao zi zai ren xin' and 'ren tong zi li' and all humans know it. Well, it may not be so in practice, but justice
has to prevail for the good and well-being of any society.
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