“Justice and Competition”
"Life with dignity as the dignity is only once as life" –Judge Bao Zheng
Introduction
Once upon a time in the golden period of China, there was a charismatic judge whose some historians call him Judge Bao Zheng. Based on historical evidences, historians believe that Judge Bao Zheng was born in the era of North Song Dynasty in 666 within an ordinary family near Luzhou, but he was a hard-learner.
At that time, mostly floor in the temple was made from iron with patterns of moonlight. Everytime Judge Bao Zheng took prayer, he had forced himself to lay down his forehead to touch the floor. By time to time, this odd habit made his forehead bleeding and finally this moonlight on his forehead became his legendary mark.
At the District of Jiachiang, Judge Bao Zheng had dealed so many huge cases, but this is the brilliant Judge Bao Zheng decision that still bearing in my mind.
Emperor's Relative Case
People gathering in front of Judge Bao Zheng court table to see the trial for the Emperor's relative fault. Historians never mention his name, but let call nim Lee. In brief, Lee was really a bad man and raper. No judge in China could punish Lee because everytime he was sued, either there was no such evidence against him or law makers had been given money to make him release. People was really mad because this badass Lee raped so many poor girls or his maids.
On this trial, a father of a suicide-girl coming in front of Judge Bao Zheng’s court table with eyes tears down and his wounded heart. His daughter once became a maid on Lee's house, but suicided herself after getting raped by Lee. This poor father, nothing with him than his cries and tears, says in tremble mouths:
"Judge Bao Zheng, Judge Bao Zheng! From whom Chinese government deliver justice to all people, I sue this Emperor's relative, who ever raped my girl. Because of that, my girl sucide herself", says the fater desperately. People mourning and murmuring to curse this Emperor's relative.
Judge Bao Zheng, wearing an unique hat with long tail behind, yellow-gold long dress, with black skin and long bread of a really Chinese-look and a moonlight mark on his forehead, says loudly to the police officers: "You see what this father said. Could you show to me the evidence?", by looking on the accused, the Emperor's relative.
Head of district police officer said, "Judge Bao Zheng, I never fail with my duties, but in this case, I have reassured that I don't have any evidence against Lee, the Emperor's relative. Besides of that, the victim had died, so we can not ask anything. I am sorry, Judge Bao Zheng, in this case, I only believe justice under your wisdom."
Having friendship for more than 40 years, Judge Bao Zheng and that head of district police officer saw each other, eyes to eyes, heart to heart, mind to mind. Judge Bao knows by feeling that the district police officer believes that Lee was the one and only criminal.
Judge Bao Zheng then talks to Lee, really mad at heart, but by softening his words asking, "Dear Lee, the Emperor's relative. To your relative (the Emperor), I dedicated my life. In the respect of Chinese gods above us and Chinese laws within me, I want to ask wheter all accusations against you is right?"
Lee replied directly, "Dear Judge Bao Zheng, in whom my relative (the Emperor) believes to conduct Law, I say to you that I never kill any girl. There are many reasons why this girl killed herself, why I should be a responsible? If you have any evidence of my crime, let me know.".
The father was crying again, people murmuring, and police officers harden their jaws. Judge Bao Zheng silenced for some seconds, than replied: "I ask once more to the police officers and audiences, does anyone here in this court rome ever be eye-witness or have evidence of this Emperor's relative crime by raping a daughter of this father?". Court silenced, only the crying of father that we can hear.
Judge Bao Zheng silenced again for some seconds, then standing up, Law's paper on his hands (Chinese judges at that time giving decision by throwing Law's paper), and says: "In the blessing of Chinese god above us and Chinese Laws within me, I don't have any evidence to punish this Emperor's relative. I let him go. Chinese Laws release him."
Suddenly, the father getting cry more louder and says to Judge Bao Zheng, "May Chinese gods bless you, Judge Bao Zheng, but let me die first rather than I see this criminal alive. There is no other purpose in my life than crying a lot everyday and now I can not get justice to punish the raper of my daughter! Let me die, Judge Bao Zheng, let me die!". Nobody in the court room has the courage of raising their head.
Judge Bao Zheng replied, "By questioning my decision, you already has some crimes, dear father. Chinese gods bless me, Chinese Emperor believes me, Chinese people adores me, and Chinese Laws within me. How dare you questioning my decision?".
Then, Judge Bao Zheng standing again, walking out his table, and approaching the police officers, "Dear police officers, please let this Emperor’s relative out of the court room alone. As he is representing himself alone, as the man who never do any crime, so he has right to out of the court by the willing of himself. If I did the wrong decision, I believe Chinese gods will punish him", said Judge Bao Zheng by staring on Lee's eyes.
The court room was noisy, some whispering bad words to curse this Emperor's relative. Then, police officers let the Emperor’s relative to go and walk out of court room alone. Many people still wondering and still thinking what the meaning of Judge Bao Zheng’s word, while suddenly a really big lightning coming from somewhere, really close to Judge Bao Zheng and Lee, but Lee was standing more closer of the court room’s doors, so the lightning badly attacked him until you can see some holes on his body, trembled, getting all-blacked, and knee-down, red-eyes, died in silence, right in front of Judge Bao Zheng's foots. Judge Bao Zheng did not move, nor afraid. One big lightning coming again, this one comes more far from court, but we can see the lightning’s reflection on both Judge Bao Zheng's eyes.
Later it was revealed that at the night before the trial of Emperor’s relative, Judge Bao Zheng put some lightning catcher in front of court room as it will catch lightning with ease because Judge Bao Zheng already knew that he did not have any proof against the raper than to kill him naturally.
Judge Bao Zheng and Current International Politic
Every political student and graduate knows that in political world, conflict is always more profitable than peace. Everytime a country delivers hard speech, launches bomb, or do immigration restriction policy, they do it in the name of protecting its nations and its people.
It is true that in the international polemology theory, each country of United Nations has the right to be an agent of peace, conflict maker, neutral, or veto without doing anything. It is also true that in the international defense system, each country has the right to develop their defense strength, but the one preliminary analysis that I never read in political academic books, journals, or papers, is that each country has its own wounded history that creates their own concept of Justice and Competition current policy.
France has 1789 national revolution, Saudi Arabia has 1908 religious revolution, Russia has 1917 October Revolution, Japanese has 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bomb, Korean has 1953 separation conflict, Indonesia has 1965 côup d’état, Chile has 1974 bloody militarization, Iran has 1979 secular revolution, China has 1989 Tianamen Square huge mass-killing, South Africa had 40 years of Apartheid, Balkans have 1995 Sebrenica War, United States has 2001 World Trade Center tragedy, Georgia has 2008 conflict, Egypt has 2014 constitution’s revolution, and recently, Ukraine has 2015 war.
This still continues, including the forever-conflicts, such as Palestinian-Israeli nationalism identity, India-Pakistan border conflict, Belfast economic conflict, and Rohingya immigration discrimination. Those are might be connected historically to one and another, but we can not analyze each country’s justice and competition concept, without knowing its wounded history.
By reading once more Judge Bao Zheng story, those wounded history contains of two issues: Justice and Competition. At least for ourselves, we want to study in the best university, marry the best couple, have the best family, gain the best luck in work and if we see other people who do different from our standard, sometimes what we can do is judging.
Well, nobody is perfect, while no country is no perfect, neither, but we can be the next “Judge Bao Zheng” version of ourselves to serve our own country by respecting the dignity of human rights. If Judge Bao Zheng was an active politician now, he should had balanced international politic constellation and international human rights condition.
The desire to be the best people to serve our country is always being head to head with general humanitarian problems. So, which one is important, your country or humanity? This is a forever dillematic question that contains Justice and Competition deep reflection. Please answering it with dignity: What is more important, your country or humanity?
Written by Jeanne Francoise, Researcher in Indonesia Peace and Conflict Resolution Association, Indonesia Defense University, holding Bachelor of Humanities and Master of Defense. This story reflects her own argument.
