The "Best Times In Five Thousand Years" of an "Olympic Host" -- Who is
accountable for China's snow siege?
Who is accountable for China's snow siege?
XIA YIFAN
Published: February 05, 2008
TOKYO, Japan, In China, the worst snow disaster in 50 years has turned
this huge country into a drowned rat. Re****ts from around the country
sound like some kind of odd competition as, in 14 provinces in south and
central China, people struggle to cope with no electricity, no water and
no roads.
What's more, since the troubles began, the propaganda skills of the
Chinese Communist Party have been in full play -- the overwhelming media
coverage has contributed to the disaster. The media behaves as if it is
natural for electricity and water supplies to be cut off and for the
railroads to break down. They treat it as the people's bad luck that
they cannot return home, and are stuck for days in the frozen and
snow-covered land.
Despite the intense focus of the media, no voice has been raised to
question what is happening. Government departments and officials have
been unable to work out any solutions to the problems. There have been
several suggestions that the experiences of other countries should be
considered and their management methods possibly adopted in order to
cope with such calamities.
However, it is doubtful that the Chinese leader****p could recognize
correct management methods or figure out how to carry them out, let
alone have the courage and vision to accept accountability. Historical
experience shows that the CCP would prefer to use such op****tunities to
gain political capital by helping the victims, rather than examining the
reasons for the massive systems failures, especially as there is no
voice of opposition to answer to.
As a result, it could be even more difficult to prevent or handle the
next disaster. Moreover, the CCP officials may be inwardly delighted
that the heavy snow covered up all the problematic details inherent in
the systems; not only could the facts be covered, but money-making
op****tunities could arise from the situation.
A major factor in this snow disaster was the collapse of many power
transmission towers at electric stations and the chain reactions this
caused. There were three reasons that the towers should not have
collapsed: they were supposedly built with advanced construction
techniques, in accordance with sound safety regulations, and with
abundant capital.
In searching for the reason the towers collapsed, it is clear they were
not built to withstand freezing temperatures and the ac***ulation of ice
on the lines. More than 20 years ago, an expert in engineering mechanics
-- who was later labeled a political rightist by the authorities -- lent
me a book published in the Soviet Union in the 1950s or 60s regarding
the design of electric plants. One photo taken in Siberia showed an
electric power transmission wire encircled by a thick layer of ice.
I was astonished by that photo. Since then, the hazard that ice and snow
could present to power transmission towers was etched in my brain. The
author warned that that kind of situation could happen not only in cold
Siberia; frost easily appears at between 5 and -5 degrees Centigrade. It
means that it could occur in two-thirds of the regions of China. It is
common sense that one should prepare for this temperature range in
construction projects.
All states place high priority on safety in the construction of power
lines and electric transmission towers. After all, the direct and
indirect results of damage to the power lines could be disastrous in
modern society. If snow could destroy power transmission towers of
500,000 volts, what would be the outcome?
In the case of China, electricity is still under a state monopoly, and
the power sector has enjoyed abundant funding to build its facilities.
It is a sector where projects are not terminated for lack of capital.
Then, what caused the collapse of those power transmission towers?
First, the electric lines were destroyed over a large area and in a
continuous manner. Second, the possibility of a terrorist attack could
be excluded. So the only possible cause was a problem during the
construction of those power transmission towers.
Even if you have good construction techniques and sound regulations, it
is still necessary that people be held accountable for the execution of
a project. It is recognized around the world that accountability is rare
in China, a fact directly connected to the CCP's autocratic system in
which people of good character and strong moral principles are
eliminated through competition.
Concerning the use of capital, China has an abundance of good ideas but
a dearth of implementation, due mostly to corruption. Most of the power
transmission towers could not be easily supervised during construction;
it was easy for the builders to settle for shoddy work using inferior
materials, as well as to deduct from the workers' wages.
The influence of a political system is revealed not only in a single
context, such as the one under discussion here. The problems are wide
and diverse. In the case of this snow disaster, it was not only the
power transmission towers that collapsed, but also the railroads, flight
services and water supply services. Not only was the inferior quality of
the facilities exposed, but also the underlying organization and services.
It is best for a government to demonstrate its ability to rouse
society's spirit and mobilize its resources before calamity strikes, not
after. Based on a certain material foundation, it requires trust and
accountability among the people -- and between the people and the
authorities -- to strengthen the ability to withstand disasters.
Otherwise, this ability will remain weak. However, trust and
accountability cannot be imagined into existence. They require long-term
cultivation and encouragement.
--
(Xia Yifan is an expert on Chinese social issues and a member of the
Japan branch of the Federation for a Democratic China. He served
formerly as a national construction engineer in China. This article is
edited and translated from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online. The original
may be found at
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/pubvp/2008/01/200801310650.shtml
.
(c)Copyright Xia Yifan.)
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