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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 leadership 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 opportunities 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 opportunities 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 accumulation 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.
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(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 . ©Copyright Xia Yifan.)
