[Editorial] President's human web of coterie of personal vassals

What ex-Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Kim Young-Ho, a former member of the Kim Dae-Jung administration, publicly warned of in his recent interview with Dong-A Ilbo is creating no small amount of shocking effects on the government and the general public.

Varied interpretations or responses over former Minister Kim's statements may be possible. Some criticisms on his remarks are rather retrogressive by railing him on his personal matters as well as questioning whether he did his best when he was in office. But, he tells us of the profound disappointments and frustrations he experienced while working for the government as an academic to join the administration. His stories relay to us something wrong, that both the general public and the present administration have thus far failed to realize, but need to address.

In particular, the general public appears to share his critical views on the administration's decision-making process, which is described by Kim as being unduly intervened in by the President's coterie of vassals, corrupted conservative elites, and economic bureaucrats with no principles; the human web surrounding the President, as Kim tells us, obviously acts to impede channels of communications to the President.

The grass-roots are not well-informed of the internal workings of the ruling power elite, but they can have some educated guesses easily these days about the way President Kim seems to rely ever more on his close staff or associates in his conduct of state affairs. What worries us here is the probability that his personal reliance on those people close to him may become more conspicuous phenomena during the latter part of his administration.

The economic officials of his administration on scrutiny do not appear innovative or original in their mind-set, nor do they have firm reform-mindedness. We do not know, of course, whom Kim had in mind when he said of those ``economic bureaucrats with no principles.'' But, what we know is the fact that, among present economic cabinet ministers, some person is continuously retaining his cabinet portfolio despite the two times of transfer of powers as if the ministerial job is his permanent profession.

Needless to say, there can be varied opinions on some economic issues, but the administration's economic team cannot deny that we may have to encounter critical, economic circumstances if we happen to make slight errors in our management of the economy. The present administration is gradually beginning to show a lame duck phenomena as it is getting into the second phase of its tenure. At this point in time, therefore, the administration's failure to win over our present economic crisis could result in the chronic recurrence of economic crisis which is typical to Latin American economies or it can bring about the long periods of compounded multiple, economic slumps shown in Japan.

It should be a painful reminder to us all that under the present system of administration the reform-minded group of intellectual manpower cannot find its proper place to play a meaningful role to link the President with the grass-roots. During initial periods of his administration, President Kim has been in frequent contact with such group of intellectuals but this appears to no longer be the case.

In addition, President Kim seems to have in his possession a very limited list of persons or potential candidates for his appointments. As some people pointed out, that was the reason why the Kim administration's policies have often failed to illicit wide support from the people.

The administration's overall clean-up drive to eliminate corruption and irregularities must be a time-bound attempt to escape from its political crisis. The people will only be persuaded by the administration's conduct of state affairs only when it's clean-up efforts must first be directed toward the human web surrounding the Presidents by his close vassals and corrupted conservative elite.