[Editorial] Preconditions of `the Rule of Law` of Candidate Lee

Presidential candidate of the Grand National Party Lee Hoi-Chang said in a panel discussion of the Kwanhun Club yesterday, `An imperial styled presidency regarding the power as a personal war boot should be ended, the balance of power among the three branches of government should firmly take hold, and the rule of law should be established.` What he was saying is that the personnel and state affairs bankruptcy of Kim Dae-Jung administration is coming from the privatized power, and not keeping with the basics of democracy.

Lee is right in saying so. However it is not easy to reform or abide by the rule of law, which are contrary to a dominating culture of society and the period. The culture here implies an extensive meaning including all the customs and traditions. The basic reason that ` Civilian Government of Kim Young-Sam ` and `People`s Government of Kim Dae-Jung` have failed back-to-back is in initiating reform without reforming the powers and political culture. The same applies to the rule of law. The rule of law without any extensive and prior refreshing of the powers and political culture will remain in the boundary of a limited legal realm and it cannot be said to be the rule of law in its true meaning.

Then candidate Lee should present a specific and practicable blueprint on how to change the powers and political culture. When he emphasizes only strict legal application to the power elite irregularities and corruption of the current administration, it is doubtful whether that kind of approach would receive an extensive support of the people.

The most urgent matter in the reform of political culture is how to lead the current regional hegemonic politics to a politics of national harmony. Democracy and the rule of law may contribute to the lessening of the regional conflicts and to the national harmony. But the more important factor is the will of a leader. Alongside the firm expression of intention to establish the national harmony through democracy and the rule of law, the institutional measures should be presented. The slogan in a theoretical level saying `Let us open the harmonious and conciliatory era with grand alliance of the people` will not work. The detailed measures of political reform and personnel affairs to prevent the structural corruption should be presented. Reading correctly the demand of the current era and thus leading in the right direction, that is the rule of law in its true meaning.