[Editorial] Long and Winding Road for Lee Myung-bak

Lee Myung-bak became the presidential candidate of the Grand National Party (GNP) after the fiercest-ever primary elections yesterday. To Mr. Lee, the victory will be very meaningful as the battle was between the first and the second contenders in the popularity polls. But it’s not the time for celebration as there lies a long and winding road ahead for Mr. Lee before the presidential election in December. To become a president is honorable, but the elected candidate should answer the fundamental question of “what can you do for the party and the nation.” We want him to be humble about the victory and fulfill the supporters’ expectations.

The most pressing task is to heal and overcome internal disputes and distrust erupted during the primary season. “We are the one from now on,” said Mr. Lee in his acceptance speech. “I acknowledge the result and accept my defeat,” said former chairman of GNP Park Geun-hye. The GNP and its supporters must keep in mind the two contenders’ remarks to achieve the regime change, their main goal.

A candidate who can’t harmonize his or her own party can’t talk about the national cohesion. History says the GNP can’t attain the main goal twice because of the aftermath of the primary. Mr. Lee’s camp must not repeat the past wrongdoings of the party by taking a “winner-takes-it-all” attitude. Vanity is the no. 1 enemy of solidarity. The winner has to approach the loser with patience and generosity to bring about voluntary cooperation.

Mr. Lee’s camp was massive in scale; its organization overwhelmed other contenders’. But he was only 2,452 votes ahead of Ms. Park. He was 0.3 percent behind her in the vote of representatives who depend on party’s organization and 8.8 percent ahead in the vote of popular polls unrelated to the organization. The result signifies the inability and lack of strategy of a big organization composed of opportunists. That’s why Mr. Lee and the GNP require a serious consideration of how to form and manage their presidential camp.

Today’s primary was the GNP-only event. But from now on, Mr. Lee will go through a rigorous verification process for his leadership and integrity during the presidential race. That means outside challenges will never be easy. This regime must not hand down power voluntarily; they will persistently run a negative campaign against Lee. He still hasn’t cleared all current allegations and new allegation could come out. But only defending those allegations, and showing inertia and inability, can’t guarantee hope.

What is important is to win the people’s mind by showing that he and the GNP can manage the nation properly and have the ability to assume authority. Many people are discouraged by failures of leftist administrations for the last 10 years. As Mr. Lee’s top popularity rating shows, he has the responsibility to take power back. But political rhetoric and criticism against failures can’t be enough. Mr. Lee and the GNP should present a hopeful vision and tangible action plans to the public.

Most of all, Mr. Lee should find a way to secure the people’s livelihood. Easing regulations to boost businesses’ investment confidence is needed. The public should be encouraged to have a can-do spirit. Liberal democracy and market economy are our unalienable value and essential strategy for survival. Based on the value, he has to present us the possibility to put Korea into the ranks of advanced countries by spurring competition and growth and going global. He also must be able to harmonize society by overcoming consequent disputes and anachronistic ideological clashes. He also has to establish the rule of law and principle.

Resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and re-establishing two Korea’s relationship are also important. Though he already mentioned in the primary election, he needs to show more detailed policies to make the North a normal state and lay a foundation for unification. To stand firm in the world, Korea should not only build up strength but also make the most of relations with alliances. Rather than getting obsessed with going alone in the name of autonomy, Korea-U.S. relations should be a lot closer. He ought to devise measures to build a more pragmatic relationship with neighboring countries, including Japan, China, and Russia.

The GNP has had an easy race; the pro-government camp has gotten little attention from the public so far. But when the presidential race begins in earnest, the race will be an uphill battle. If the GNP is a herbivore, the leftist is a beast. What Mr. Lee and the GNP must keep in mind is that they can’t guarantee success in the presidential race if they are unable to make a fresh impression.