[Editorial] President Kim's easy perception over stark realities

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) is now taking its political fight out to the streets. But neither President Kim Dae-Jung nor the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) will likely budge an inch, holding steadfastly the position that all pending issues must be resolved in the parliament as the principles of parliamentary democracy dictate.

We have urged the opposition GNP to do all it can to make the National Assembly become the center of state affairs. We have also called for the GNP to refrain from its street demonstrations. We disagree, however, both with President Kim Dae-Jung and the ruling party in making a unilateral demand on the opposition party to respect their version of the principle to confine all political fights to the parliament.

President Kim lamented the nation`s politics at his talks Sunday with the senior reporters of the three major TV networks. We are rather concerned about what appears to be President Kim`s lack of serious understanding of our dire political difficulties. President Kim seems to have the mistaken idea of resolving our political impasse by his unyielding assaults and uncompromising tough stand against the opposition party. We have no intention at all of defending the way the opposition party stages its political battles or harps on its political opponents faults. But, the issues for which the opposition party launches street demonstrations are serious enough to make both the administration and the ruling party feel responsibility. We think it unreasonable if the administration and the ruling party are only interested in making unilateral demands that the opposition party return to the Assembly without presenting to the opposition any viable measures to resolve the political deadlock.

We should like to question again whether it is reasonable to regard the MDP caucus members` statements about their intervention into the election spending probes as merely a verbal slip. There would hardly be any person who would trust that the MDP`s deputy secretary-general, who is responsible overall for the party`s organizational affairs, would make a slip of the tongue on such sensitive issues as election spending investigations. If this was really the case, the ruling party should come forth to join the opposition party`s demand for the initiation of special prosecutors or the parliamentary powers to investigate the state affairs in order to dispel the suspicions of unlawful intervention into election spending probes. The politics of co-existence can not be expected if the ruling party regards whatever the opposition party demands as merely a political offensive.

The ruling party argues that such investigative powers of state affairs or special prosecutors are unnecessary because the investigation can be carried out by the parliamentary rights of auditing. But there are issues that can not fully be probed by the mere exercise of the parliamentary auditing right. Such an easy attitude of the ruling party towards the present political impasse will in no way be conducive either to persuading the opposition party or to convincing the general public.

President Kim stated that it is a parliamentary rule of legislation to make its passage unanimous if all the parties agree, and to decide by vote if they disagree. That may be general parliamentary rules and procedures. But, there are extenuating circumstances to consider in the case of our present parliamentary deadlock. The railroading of the National Assembly Law distorts the fundamental norms of democracy. It is not just a procedural matter; the passage goes against the people`s general will represented in the April 13 parliamentary polls. This essential issue of substance appears slighted by the ruling powers which seem to emphasize only superfluous procedures. In no way can we approve railroading any legislative bills.

Although the matters stand as worse as they are, the ruling powers have not shown any effort to make internal reforms or adopt a new attitude and fresh thinking. Before it is much too late, the ruling circles must be able to see through the stark political realities. Many issues, such as Hanvit Bank`s huge loan scandal, haunt the ruling powers` moral stance. No lasting progress in inter-Korean relations, it must be known, can be expected without making sound achievements in domestic politics.