[Column] 2000 is a year of pain and chaos

Another year seems to have flown by. As always, this has been an eventful year, full of disasters and ills better unseen.

If it had not been for the deluge of optimism for the year 2000, the ills and social calamities might have lent a crushing blow and burden on us all. In actuality, the historical inter-Korean Summit and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Kim, first Korean to receive such a Nobel Prize, might have been the life-saving elixir. Without the two bundles of joy, the year 2000 might have gone down in history as nothing more than yet another year full of chaos and pain for the people of Korea.

Both metaphorically and literally, the crisis that levied the greatest chaos and pain was the bumbling medical reform efforts reminiscent of the Keystone Cops. Dragging on for nearly half the year, the absurdities threw the nation into one long protracted nightmare. The main actor in such regrettable chaos was the government and its near non-existent ability for crisis management. At times, the government itself seemed nearly non-existent as it faded into the background, the shadows, the never-never land of inaction. It was rather fortunate that the people vented their fury to reign in and put the situation under control.

On an equal level of infamy was the chain of financial loan scandals involving the mutual savings institutions. Among various scandals, "Jung Hyun-Joon Gate" and "Jin Seung-Hyun Gate" stand out, but in a veil of mystery and unfathomable fog. As the near-certain involvement of corrupt government officials hid behind the veil while the cases were hurriedly closed, people could only lament that in this proud unchanging land of ours, the new government, the new century, nor the dawn of the new millennium could empower the law and justice enough to carry out its righteous duty.

The loan scandals also imprinted negative images of the mutual savings institutions in the mind of the public, leading to a run on the institutions that only closed down more. While the domino effect built momentum, as always, many hard-working people watched as their life savings vanished before their eyes.

However, the crisis that has taken the greatest toll, in terms of sheer number of people affected, has been the great turbulence in the national economy. While the economic indicators paint a picture of health, the screams of pain and confusion from the general populace, as the icy hands of recession and slump work their murderous rampage, could be heard. The intermittent screams of pain reached a new plateau as massive layoffs were triggered by the expansion of restructuring measures.

Adding to the misery was the fact that the astronomical amount of public funds for the restructuring had in reality been thrown down the drain. Nearly 70 trillion won of the people's money vanished into thin air, and the government today proposes to inject even more. Not only is the taxpayers¡¯ money the very blood and sweat of the people, it is also a future burden, a debt. The supposed compromises between management and labor unions of companies facing restructuring have no bite, as they are mostly followed by double contracts defining the very gap supposedly narrowed.

Is this any way to run a nation? Such miserable dereliction of duty and downright corruption surprisingly have resulted in none of the government officials taking responsibility and resigning from their posts on their own. Only the people have been left to hold the bag. The underdog attitude at the talks with the North, the scandals involving the police chief, the ineptitude of the prosecutors, and the unprincipled bowing under the pressure when faced with mass demonstrations have added to the disappointment among the public.

Considering them all, the alienation of the public does not seem surprising. As a remedy, the politicians brainstormed to offer party restructuring. Not more than a year after the rebirth of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), it is obvious that the party proposes to incorporate certain members of the United Liberal Democrats (ULD) and the Grand National Party (GNP).

It is also obvious that the strategy of coalition hopes to prop the now nearly defunct MDP to face the coming presidential election by strengthening itself through the supposed restructuring to garner more votes. Those representatives of the opposition GNP who have shown a degree of warmth to the idea seem to be those who see their only chance of being a key player during the presidential election, perhaps even as a candidate, through the realignment of their affiliation.

What comfort and confidence could the people have to see such political games being transparently played out by politicians, who have one-track minds, tunnel vision, for the presidential election and power grabs, even as the people face harsh reality filled with misery?

There is not much future for the new incorporated party. Have we not seen such party coalitions in the past come to a dismal failure? As such, the refusal of Cheong Wa Dae and certain members of the ruling party to consider party restructuring is fortunate. Such outdated opportunistic maneuvering needs to be buried deep, along with all other backward ideologies.

It is time for the government to think less of re-attaining the administration but more on saving the nation and the people. Should they succeed, they might have nothing to worry about.

Kim Hak-Joon, editorial advisor for Dong-a Ilbo