Recently, because of toxic baby formula produced by Sanlu, It becomes the national focus. Some people says that Sanlu is a national brand so we should protect it without penalty but recalling its products and curing the illed babies, while others believe that human health is the top concerned things, whoever making fake or toxic food especially infant food should be punished. I think we should protect our national brand without coddling them, therefore Sanlu will deserved his fault.
We should protect our national brands because national brands/enterprises support the national economy. Without them, the people in the country would not live normally, because they provide us the basic daily nessesities, entertainment instruments, and jobs for whoever has ability to do it. It is the very import point in the economical cycle. If we lose them, all of our life, jobs would meet difficulties, capital would be controled by foreign investers, foreign governments. Every other government has policies to protect their national enterprises. So, protecting national brand is necessities.
But, that's not the point. How to protect them is the core problem! They sould be protected without connivence of mistakes. Sanlu made mistake of selling toxic infant formula. If it does not get the heavy penalty and punish, it would take it again. Like a baby, if it makes a mistake, parents will tell him where the fault is and how to correct it without punishment. If it makes it again, he / she will get punishment in order to avoid it more. Sanlu is a national enterprise, who made such severe mistake, and it should know the punishment of fake or toxic food, and it is a 50+ year brand, it's adult, so It should take the responsibility to make up for mistakes. If it will not, and the government take a light action about this toxic formula event, the enterpreneurs would get a fault impression, there's nothing about faking/toxic products. This fake and toxic food or drug was not a single event in China, "Big head" babies happened in Anhui 2004, caused by fake milk powder. Although the laws in China are imperfect, the government should give it the most heavy punishment in the framework of law, and improve the law for sanitation of food and drug.
Food and Drug is very significant on citizens' health. We could have no entertainment, but we must have healthy body, food and drug is the core component, besides proper excercise. If Sanlu event is not well-dealed, it would crack down people's confidence on credibility of government, quality of national brands' products, because it will give people the impression, citizen's health and life is lighter than money.
Should we protect our national brand? Yes, we must. But if we compared it with citizens' health, national brand is less important.