issue08 [0710G突击先锋小组]第1次作业

The speaker states that it is often necessary, for political leaders to withhold information from the public. I think the statement has considerable merit to some extend. However, sometimes it is important for leaders to communicate with the public to solve the problem efficiently. It is true that the political leaders often should be less than truthful so as to protect the national security. Intelligence, which comprises the national strategies, military forces, is an important component of national power and a fundamental element in decision making regarding national security, defense, and foreign policies. Just by preventing the intelligence from other countries can a state provide a safe environment for its people to live and develop. Imagine the terrorists get the military or economic intelligence of a country, they may make a surprise attack on the country which must do a great deal of damage on the life of people in that country. Another reason why I essentially agree with the speaker is that the rumor, which is scandalous and tends to circulate quickly, should be controlled to keep the society stability and prosperity. For supporting examples, one need look no further than the Southeast Asian financial crisis. In retrospect, the crisis begin with ruining Malaysia's economy with massive currency speculation by the currency speculator George Soros, then, the rumors spread all over the Southeast Asian that a period of economic unrest that started in July 1997 in Thailand and South Korea with the financial collapse of Kia, and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices in Asian countries. From this example can we learn that it is very important for the government to control the rumor to damage the stability and development of a country. However, sometimes, the political leaders should tell the public truth and communicate with them very well in order to get the support of the public and solve the problem quickly. Two examples that aptly illustrate this point involve the military coup of Spanish in February, 1981 and the problem of global warming. There are some details: in 1981, there is a military coup in Spanish in which a group of soldiers stormed the Spanish parliament, at that moment, King Juan Carlos declared a state of emergency to the public by TV. With the help of the public, rebels were defeated, and the King win the support of the public. Also, the global warming is a world problem which should be handled with the people all over the world, so the government should tell the public about the pollution and situation about their country so that the public can do what they should do to help the country prevent the air pollution and so on. Accordingly，the issue of whether the political leaders should withhold information from the public is a complex one, requiring considering the conditions one faces. I concede sometimes it is necessary for political leaders to withhold the information, however, they should tell truth and communicate with the public in given conditions.