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By a miraculous quirk of fate the controversy that China-based ZTE
Corp. is currently engulfed in has ensured that the forces of
communism and ecumenism have finally found common ground—something
that even divine intervention has hitherto failed to achieve.
And Beijing and Rome—who have been at strident
loggerheads for many decades—now appear to be on the same
wavelength, with ZTE unwittingly acting as the conduit.
Just in case you, dear readers, think we might
have been over indulging on the communion wine let us explain.
Last week ZTE Director Zhang Shuming emailed us
a statement in which he firmly stated that ZTE “joins the call of
the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines [CBCP] that the
investigation agencies should use their distinct and different
powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases, not for their own
interests, but for the common good.”
Correct us if we are wrong, but we believe this
is the first recorded instance of a Chinese government entity (and
for all its capitalist posturing, ZTE is a company where the state
has substantial interests and determines the corporate path taken)
jumping purposefully on board with an important branch of the
Catholic Church that adheres to Rome—the Philippines being, after
all, the largest Catholic country in Asia.
Suddenly, from taking vehemently opposing stands
on everything from theological teachings to the appointment of
bishops in the strictly state-run Patriotic Catholic Church, Beijing
appears to have taken a historical leap of faith and got on message
with Rome, as represented by the CBCP.
So whoever said that ZTE was all bad news should
advance on their hands and knees towards the nearest altar while
reciting several Hail Marys!
Of course, ever since the apparatchiks in
Beijing—much like Saul on the road to Damascus—saw the light on
the road to globalization and swapped mandarin jackets for smart
suits, getting rich has been officially deemed as glorious.
The new way to go is best exemplified near the
Forbidden City compound where the ruling cadres hold office (and
where the status of power is defined by one’s own personalized
spittoon). There sits the granite mausoleum where the mortal remains
of the Great Helmsman Mao Tse Tung lie, but on any given day the
queue outside Mao’s tomb is miniscule compared to the crowds
snaking their way to the nearby McDonalds. Thus proving that fresh
consumerism in a sesame seed bun is a lot more palatable than stale
ideology in a glass coffin.
Incidentally, in another email we received from
ZTE the company appeared to be bashing former Speaker Joe de Venecia.
Said ZTE: “It is both absurd and unfair to ZTE for Mr. de Venecia
to be allowed by the Philippine Senate to convene a so-called panel
of industry experts, supposedly to make a financial analysis of our
bid proposal.”
The company then adding brusquely for good
measure: “ZTE Corp. of China has no time for this nonsense and it
will not allow itself to be used continuously as a political
tool.”
Ironic that, considering that prior to the ZTE
deal collapsing so spectacularly, JdV was widely considered as
Beijing’s point man on all contracts it entered into with the
Philippine government. And the general consensus being that the
whole ZTE brouhaha arose simply because this was one lucrative
contract that had slipped through his fingers.
All that being said, perhaps it’s time for the
Senate to give it a rest (do we hear nationwide sighs of relief?)
and maybe allow Beijing and Rome to come into the picture and,
within the secluded confines of the Curia, try to bring closure to
the vexed ZTE controversy.
And they are more than welcome to ask
whistleblower Jun Lozada to join them. Our TV screens could do with
a break from his mournful persona.
rjottings@yahoo.com
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