[Editorial] Amid Creating and Leaving Parties, Voters in Confusion

Eighteen lawmakers of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) gave up their party membership since August, and counting. They don`t seem to care about cause or rationale. Hence no no surprise for them to betray their party. It is questionable if they really have the right to mention the will of the public to justify their behavior. Some MDP legislators elected through the national constituency are urging the MDP to expel them in a thinly veiled attempt to maintain their parliamentary seats even after their defection, which is so pathetic.

They argue that they broke away from their party in order to field a single presidential candidate. But it is not likely that they would join forces together. Already they split over their personal interests, making the already gloomy outlook even bleaker.

For people who seek their own interests can easily change their face and position.

Today the National Unity 21 will be officially launched and Rep. Chung Mong-jun will be appointed as the presidential candidate of the new party. But the party fails to meet the requirement to become a parliamentary negotiation group. It shows that the party was a makeshift one in the run up to the presidential election. Despite this drawback, the National Unity 21 is bragging that it has the ability to take control over state affairs for the next five years. It is questionable whether it is ok for it to look down on voters this much.

MDP`s presidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun initially opposed fielding a single candidate between him and Chung. But now he changed his position, saying that he can no longer reverse the pressure of fielding a single candidate from opponents of Lee Hoi-chang, the presidential candidate of the Grand National Party. Chung seems to positively react to Roh`s proposal, but the likelihood of the two presidential runners reaching an agreement remains bleak as they attach strings the other side could not easily accept.

It is already belated to come up with sophisticated and detailed election pledges, but they are still engaged in a tug-of-war. Continuing playing this stupid game, both presidential candidates are making mockery of the public. The political landscape is so messy that the public feesl like turning their eyes away from it.