The Soldier and the Citizen: Role of the Military in Taiwan's Development: Role of the Military in Taiwan's Development by Monte Bullard

Author:Monte Bullard [Bullard, Monte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781563249785
Google: oHl2nQAACAAJ
Goodreads: 7162799
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1996-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

Company Meetings

To implement this policy, Esprit de Corps Meetings (Rongyu Tuanjie Hui—榮譽團結會) were held at all levels from the company up.16 At the company level, meetings were held monthly. There were similar meetings at battalion and higher levels where meetings were held bimonthly or quarterly. The meetings included all troops; they reviewed the overall situation of the unit and honored outstanding model soldiers. The intent was to improve the solidarity of the unit. In addition to listening to detailed reports about unit fund accounts, logistic items and personnel affairs actions, all participants were allowed to make comments and suggestions. It provided a useful feedback for the unit commander who was the final arbitrator of all issues. The Ministry of National Defense placed high priority on these meetings, so all commanding officers gave them top attention. The gathering provided an open channel of communication between members of the unit and was an al-inclusive, constructive, and educational activity.

For some problems resourceful commanders discovered they could create a consensus among their troops by using tneir Political Warfare Officers to manipulate the consensus. Before a meeting of the entire one-hundred-man company the Political Warfare Officer would call together his committees separately. He would tell them the school solution to a problem to be presented to the group. When the whole company met the Commander would present the problem and ask for recommendations from the group. As soon as the Commander presented his problem, one of the prompted model soldiers in the first platoon, for example, would say: “I think we should do it this way.” Another soldier from the third platoon, also prompted, would say: “That’s a great idea!” Others would chime in, including non-prompted passive people who then believed it was a true consensus.

Often, after the Commander presented his problem, one of the soldiers who was not clued in would offer a suggestion. That suggestion was noted and if it had merit it was included in the solution. This happened often enough that the group did not always know which were prompted and which were not so the whole process was believable. Furthermore, everyone in the group felt a part of the solution. They were willing to exert all their effort because they had a stake in the outcome.

This participant management system was not a strictly negative sanction system. It made the life of the troops more comfortable and helped them to solve personal problems, which in turn created an environment which made them more effective and efficient at their job and more susceptible to political socialization. Under this system there was no possibility for resentment to build to the point where a subversive organization could develop. The system knew what was on every individual’s mind and if dissent emerged the leaders could change the minds or get rid of the dissenter.

It is important not to fall into the trap 01 believing that this system was totally sinister and oppressive. It did accomplish many good things for the group and it made the group much more effective, improved morale and created better citizens.

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