Daily Lesson from Life 28 September 2008

I ran my 1st 18km on the road this morning from my home to Laguna National Golf & Country Club. It took my 2hrs 45mins from 10am till 1245pm. It was hot and I took 4 water stations along the way. I was glad I put on a cap and brought a small towel with me. It is a good test of how I handle the heat. It was not easy but I survived! So I should be on track for the 42.195km on 7 December 2008!!


"Lawyer: China milk victims pressed to quit
Growing govt sensitivity over the scandal blamed. -Sun, Sep 28, 2008 Reuters

Chinese lawyers seeking redress for infant victims of toxic milk say they are facing growing official pressure to abandon the efforts, blaming growing government sensitivity over the health scandal.

Scenes of thousands of parents crowding hospitals, seeking help for babies ill from toxic dairy powder, have stoked widespread public dismay in China.

Reflecting that anger, local rights advocates and lawyers have mobilized to support families seeking redress, possibly by suing dairies or officials who failed to disclose the problem.

But on Sunday, organizers of the campaign and some of the lawyers said officials in some provinces have pressured volunteers or their bosses to give up the campaign.


"About two dozen of the lawyers have called these past days to say they want to quit the volunteer advice group," said Li Fangping, a Beijing lawyer who helped organize the group soon after public news of the poisonings emerged.

"Some of them said that they or their offices were told they'd face serious repercussions if they stayed involved."


The pressure has by no means deterred all the lawyers to drop out, and nor does that pressure appear to have been uniformly intense, Li and other participants said. Even after the departures, the group has about 120 lawyers ready to give free advice.

But the rash of warnings suggests the government does not want lingering political and legal fallout from the milk scandal."

An all too predictable response by the government officials in a single-party nation when things went against the ruling party?

I hope not. Leaders must be firmed on meting out the due justice for all those aggrieved. It is dangerous to suppress a natural outlet as sooner or later unjust deeds will NOT be tolerated. At that stage, maybe the price to pay is far bigger than if we took actions earlier!!

Lessons for me are:

1. indecision by government officials - clouded minds! It is about justice. It is about cleaning up a systemic error! If the top leadership is not serious or does not has the stomach for controversies, the sicked system will persist!;

2. do not suppress natural outlets for fear, outrage, and sense of unfairness. The harder you suppressed and succeeded initially, the harder the recoil and repercussion will be when it all blown up! It will blow up for sure if the root causes were NOT addressed! Simple as that!;

3. national efforts can be mobilized to turn a new leaf for the food and food processing industries in China IF the government showed deep commitment to clean house! It will be pitiful IF no leader seized this opportunity to change for the better!!

In time of crisis, sticking to the fundamental values and doing the right things are absolutely key. Wise leaders will push for reform of the whole system and lead their followers to a safer and steadier environment.