“The DFA has certain ways of issuing diplomatic statements which are direct to the point, yet formulated in such a way that it will not strike listeners as bellicose”
We need to be talking to the Chinese no matter how some senior officials in government view their intransigence on the WPS issue.
If the two major powers China and the United States can talk, there is no reason why we cannot do the same.
Prudence simply dictates that we should.
For one, it is better for the government to communicate our official position clearly and directly to the Chinese government instead of those among us who seem to be parroting the Chinese narrative hijacks and muddle the already very complicated WPS issue.
Here we are, a Lilliputian country engaged in a monumental rhetorical struggle with a giant country that refuses to abide by an international treaty that it signed, yet some of our own citizens appear to be doing the bidding of that country.
What could be their motivations? It is a huge mystery.
Just when the country badly needs all hands on deck, there are some of us who are going the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, human nature is like that. There will always be people willing to do their own country harm. It is for this reason that talking may be able to lower the temperature.
It can also help show that we are not a pawn of the US as China seem to think.
The last several days has also been full of news both locally and internationally on the WPS issue.
China did its own so-called combat patrol and we did our own together with our allies, the US, Japan and Australia.
On the local front, our own media people especially the broadcast side have been quite vocal in pointing to our determined resolve to do whatever it takes to defend our sovereign rights as dictated by international law.
But we should do it in keeping with our humble capability.
One paper even printed about our NSA Chief calling China’s bluff.
What bluff exactly was the paper talking about?
We really should not be like a fly that happens to be at the back of an elephant but is now thinking that it is the elephant.
Part of the problem from our end is that everybody can issue statements.
As I have tried to point out in previous pieces, we should only have one agency do the talking and that should be the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The DFA has certain ways of issuing diplomatic statements which are direct to the point, yet formulated in such a way that it will not strike listeners as bellicose.
And with due respect to the President, he should also refrain from directly issuing statements because with him doing the talking, there will be no room for any other interpretation.
We have not seen the President of China issuing regular statements on what is happening in the WPS.
It is only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson doing all the talking and we should be doing the same thing.
We should bear in mind that sitting down with the Chinese to talk does not mean that we have to give in to them or pointless because of the belief they will not budge from their position.
But there might be other areas wherein some agreements can be reached on much lesser issues.
Who knows, we might be able to convince them to refer the issue to the International Court of Justice for arbitration.
Anything is possible when two parties are talking.
At the very least, the tension will simmer down.
As another senior NSA official also said, a conflict in the WPS will not serve any purpose to any country.
And for those very brave people among us, let us not forget that we do not have an Air Force to speak of.
Most of our new naval assets are Offshore Patrol Boats.
We have two frigates with another two corvettes under construction and a land force more suited for counter insurgency warfare.
We should just keep quiet and work hard to prepare.
Maybe then, we will be more capable but not right now.
Sometimes, silence is golden. Let’s remember also that it will be us who will do most of the fighting if ever.