[Editorial] Is This Right Time to `Pursue One`s Own Power`?

As soon as President Kim Dae-Jung resigned from the president of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), presidential election candidates of the MDP began to pursue their own power. While they are not interested in reshaping the party which is almost like a mourning house due to the crushing defeat in the by-election, they seem to focus on the issue of who will become the prior occupant of the highest place to seize the power of the party and the presidency. Those who complained about the the lack of party`s autonomy due to Cheong Wa Dae`s intervention in the party`s affairs are not interested in reforming the party since the resignation of President from the party`s president. Rather, they are interested in issues like how many numbers of delegates would be advantageous to the election and when would be good time to hold the party`s national convention. Everybody is paying attention to one`s own political interest.

Although the MDP formed `special committee for the development and reform of the party` and began to set things in order, it is doubtful whether the party can rise up since the presidential election candidates are preoccupied with their own interests. It is more questionable whether they can regain support from people who have turned their backs against them.

The presidential election candidates even held a support meeting in which 2,000 to 3,000 people were mobilized at once. Moreover, a candidate plans to mobilize 15,000 to 18,000 to the supporters` meeting. Since it is utterly impossible that all those people will voluntarily participate in the meeting, this means that they will be transported through buses. Before criticizing the `display of power and obsolete politics`, it is curious how candidates will pay the huge costs.

A MDP official said that ``it is a widely-accepted theory that it costs at least 1 million won to mobilize 50 people (one bus).`` Then, it will cost 20 million won for the transportation of 1,000, and 200 million won for the transportation of 10,000. Where do they get such money? The source of money should be revealed, that is, whether the money is personal money or support money from the party, or the supporters` money. Such `high cost politics` cannot break the close connection between politics and economics.

The MDP presidential election candidates are people who have criticized the obsolete political behaviors of the past, which showed off one`s power through the number of people and attacked the opponents instead of providing policies and vision. It is just astonishing that they follow the `negative strategy` of the obsolete politics instead of new politics. Even if one becomes the presidential election candidate through the unchanged obsolete politics, can the person gain people`s support? The MDP should know that there is no hope in the MDP with such obsolete politics.