[Opinion] Can Young Politicians Really Offer Something New?

The longing for something new is getting more intense. Particularly in the political arena, the word `reform` is becoming an important hwadu (koan). Some are searching for measures to overhaul the party and political systems. In the midst of this, one young Assembly member of the ruling party stated that the important thing for next year`s presidential elections is not the party selections but what new leader will be chosen for the new generation. We can say that he put himself in the running for the nomination by making this statement and gave his own spin to what new thing is needed.

What new thing do the people really want? They want a new politics that has overcome the outdated mode of politics which has blocked our nation from making progress. They want not just new rhetoric but a new way of doing things, and new way of acting. Recently, a ruling party representative stated that the Grand National Party is attacking the ruling party because the GNP is uneasy about the new developments that the ruling party is making and is trying to sweep the past mistakes under the rug. In a word, this kind of statement is completely inappropriate for the representative who seeks a new face for the party and claims to walk the path of reform.

In order to truly make things new, one must be aware of the reality. One must reexamine whatever needs to reexamination and confess what needs confessing. One needs to make a clear analysis of the situation and address it with all seriousness. Why has the public investment fund become an issue? No one is blaming anyone for the situation which required the funds for overcoming insolvent businesses and finances, and create necessary structural adjustments. The discussion is around the issue of whether the money was used for structural adjustment or spent indiscreetly which resulted in further delays in executing adjustments. On top of this, there is the political question whether the funds were spent fairly, or managed indiscreetly due to a politics of mass accommodation. To put the blame for these things on the past administration changes nothing but the outward appearance.

It was the same thing with the analysis of the causes for the 1997 financial crisis. This was the perfect opportunity to do a comprehensive assessment of our economic system since we began industrialization including our policy, business management, financial organizations` competitiveness. That was one hope for our future despite the mass unemployment and large-scale bankruptcy of corporations. They wasted this precious opportunity by attacking the former administration and publicizing the new administration with the simple slogan for financial maintenance. If we genuinely reexamined ourselves after the financial crisis, our society would have become all the more transparent and much more intent on building for the future instead of wasting time on political battles. We probably would not have spent much time on whatever "gate" or whatever lobby incident either.

The administration is in its last days now, and there is only about a year left before the next presidential elections. This administration and the ruling party must think from the perspective of the other side. The next administration also has to think about whether it is going to blame everything on the former administration. The next administration need to have the attitude that it will really be a genuine force for reform and focus on establishing the basis for reform. Our society needs a tremendous amount of reform right now, not just in words but in actuality. In order to do this, the attitude has to change first. A new outlook, a new vision, and new mode of action are needed. The skin of the old, outdated politics should be shed, and those who cut the pie in whichever way for their own interests should be done away.

Several times, there has been talk about changing generations. The reason why this discourse has not yielded any results is because the expectation for something new has not been fulfilled aside from the difference in age. We will have to see whether the new generation politics proposed by that young member of the ruling party will actually provide the key to the problem, or be overcome by the older politics.

In order to make real political reforms, the party must first examine critically its own conduct which increased mistrust and apathy. This must be followed by action and not words, moving toward a future-oriented and productive politics. A genuine vision and execution is called for at this time when the people want something new more than ever.

Lee Gak-Bum (Korea Information and Communications University, Professor of Information Sociology)