From Chinese Press

Success is not honesty

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-12 07:53

According to an online survey, a majority of netizens have "forgiven" Tang Jun for lying about his academic credentials, because of the success he has achieved in the world of business. But success has nothing to do with honesty, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

Tang Jun, former president of Microsoft China, has been accused by Fang Zhouzi, a "science cop" fighting pseudo-science and academic misconduct, for faking his academic qualification. California-based Pacific Western University, from which Tang got his PhD, is one of the many diploma mills in the US that fish out certificates in exchange of a fat fees.

Tang boasted in the first edition of his biography that he got a doctoral degree in Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology. He deleted it in the next edition, and said later that he got his doctorate from the Pacific Western University. Although Tang's success in business is undeniably motivating for young people, success is not a license to lie.

So it is surprising to see the netizens "forgive" his dishonesty just because he is a successful businessman. It shows that people today attach more importance to success and money than honesty and integrity. They believe that "winners" make the rules and "losers" are born to follow them.

But the loss of honesty is bound to erode the moral foundation of social justice, making people slaves of wealth - a condition that makes them ignore the abuse of power.

The criteria to evaluate life should be as diverse as life itself. But honesty is a prerequisite in all aspects of life. Success comes much later in the requirement list.

(China Daily 07/12/2010 page9)