[Editorial] Cabinet is Currying Favor with the President

It appears that ministers and government offices are mobilizing to support the president’s proposal to amend the constitution. Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook has ordered the formation of an intergovernmental organization to support the amendment. The Ministry of Finance and Economy has even produced a paper titled “The Impact of the Elections on the Economy” in order to raise awareness about the proposal. Minister of Planning and Budget Jang Byung-wan has claimed that over 100 billion won in budget can be saved if presidential and general elections are held on the same day.

Administrative neutrality is inevitably undermined if the cabinet gets involved in an issue as sensitive as a change in the constitution. The president’s right to propose constitutional amendments is given not to the head of the cabinet but to the head of the government. That is why the Office of the Prime Minister has, time and again, avoided the issue of changing the constitution by saying, “It is politics, therefore it is none of our business.” If this principle is not observed, it is likely that controversy over constitution change will push aside state affairs, people’s livelihoods, and the economy, prompting a war of attrition.

The president rebuts the dissidents by saying, “The proposal does not disrupt state affairs.” However, it seems clear that more pressing issues like real estate problems, people’s livelihood, FTA talks with the U.S, and the North Korean nuclear problem are being eclipsed by the controversy over the proposal. Under these circumstances, it is the general public who bears the brunt of the political cacophony.

In “The Impact of the Elections on the Economy,” the Ministry of Finance and Economy said that because elections entail inflation, decreasing interest rates, sluggish investment in facilities, and increasing unemployment, a constitutional amendment is needed. The ministry claims that if presidential and general elections are held on the same day, the adverse side effects of the elections can be minimized. However, the ministry needs to put things in perspective. The side effects are less likely the results of elections but more likely the results of political maneuvers of the cabinet that cross the line to support the proposal. The ministry should reflect on its past behavior where it backed and financed pork barrel politics.

Deputy Prime Minister Kwon O-kyu, who used to dismiss disclosures of apartment building costs and regulations on apartment selling prices as politically-charged measures, has caved in to the left-wing of the ruling party and met it halfway. The ministry has stretched economic and market principles to curry favor with the president, which has many worried about the economy in 2007.