Wolf, I don't doubt your description of the PLA Political Officer is as described in some CCP army publication, and you're obviously sincere in your reading of it. But, what say you to this contrived scenario?
Let's say a right and proper Political Officer (PO) overhears an infantry battalion commander opine in a serious way to a small group of his peers the PLA should be a national army and not a party army, and the commander in chief should only be the President and not the CCP Chairman. What would happen? Yes, yes, I know no army officer reaching Colonel or LTC rank is that reckless, but this is a hypothetical situation.
My guess is the PO would "support" his battalion commander by arranging one-way tickets on high speed rail for him and his family to his new posting as the commander of a fetch-and-carry militia unit in the middle of the Gobi Desert. The said officer's peers would be supported with multiple entries in "correct" political thoughts reeducation classes. What do you think?
Well, I would question the purpose and relevance of such a loaded and unrealistic scenario.
Only people in the West cares about whether the PLA is a national army or Party army, and whether the CiC should only be the President and not CCP Chairman as well.
The Chinese are a very practical people, and care far more about the actual reality and substance of things rather than what pretty name you give it or what fancy hat you make it wear.
That is just the way the system of government is in China. Joining the party is just like getting an honorific these days, there is no serious commitments or obligations to joining, nor does one have to adhere to any specific belief to qualify or be accepted.
Pretty much anyone and everyone can and does join (obviously you need to meet certain minimal requirements and have no glaring red marks like criminal convictions). Even the "decadent business classes" is not only allowed, but actually encourage to join. The Party has become so broad as to be all encompassing to such an extent that it no longer has any real defining values or characteristics.
There are so many different factions with such diverging beliefs within the CCP that most western opposition parties are probably closer to each other.
The CCP has actually pretty much achieved their goal of making the Party synonymous with the country and the people, but in doing so, they have actually also make the Party itself largely meaningless.
But all of that is beside the point.
The problem with your question is that it is designed to question the very system of governance in China and effectively advocating the replacement of said system.
It might be acceptable and even chic to do so in the west, but everyone with half a brain would know what the real reasons for saying such things would be.
If any senior commander within the PLA was stupid enough to stay such things publically, and be seen to actually mean it, he would be kicked out of the military simple as that.
You may think the west more "enlightened", but publically voicing a contrary view to "universally" held core western beliefs, and you will suffer real personnel consequences just the same.
Do you honestly think it would go down well for senior US military personnel to be overheard publically strongly opining that the CiC of the American armed forces should not be the President based on some abstract and obscure theological argument?
How about advocating that the hallowed Western Democratic system is a sham and in desperate need of replacing?
What about voicing the opinion that the West's wars in the Middle East are immoral and illegal and that the men who ordered them are war criminals who should be arrested and tried?
Or some other similarly incendiary and highly controversial fringe view or belief?
My guess is that the US military would "support" his battalion commander by arranging one-way tickets on the next military transport for him and his family to his new posting as the commander of a fetch-and-carry militia unit in the middle of the Afghanistan Desert, probably a unit with high Green on Blue incident rates.
Tolerance only ever extends so far, and there are red lines on what is acceptable thought in every society and country, especially for people of influence and power, like military commanders. No country or military would tolerate rouge generals or commanders who's personal views are so fringe and extreme as to put his loyalties and priorities into question.
To believe otherwise is to ascribe to a level of naivety I would think is beneath you.
