[Editorial] Rejection Of Chief Auditor Possibly Result in Adverse Effects on State Affairs

With the Assembly turning down Roh’s nomination of Yoon Sung-sik as the nation`s chief auditor, the president has suffered another setback less than a month after his point man Kim Doo-kwan, former minister of Government Administration and Home Affairs, was ousted by the opposition-dominated Assembly. In addition, political confrontation under the four-party formation is expected to further intensify.

The rejection is set to ratchet up political tensions further, prompting concerns about possible adverse effects on state affairs and the national economy. This is not a matter of holding somebody accountable for the development. Many people raised a question what the public could expect from the current Korean politics where the president failed to show firm leadership. Not to mention reforms, both reviving the sluggish economy and stabilizing livelihoods of ordinary citizens will get nowhere.

Chong Wa Dae expressed Friday its deep regret over the rejection of the appointment motion at the parliament and criticized both the Grand National Party and the Millennium Democratic Party for abusing majority power. However, Chong Wa Dae’s accusation against those political parties can’t be justifiable given that the leaderships of both parties urged their lawmakers to cast their ballots in line with their faith in stead of following party official lines in fear that in the eyes of the public they form a politically-motivated strategic alliance.

The president should have predicted his nomination of Yoon, who is one of his close allies, as the nation’s chief auditor would invite concerns over the political neutrality of the Board of Audit and Inspection. In addition, he should have refrained himself both from expressing his support for the new party led by his supporters and from making critical remarks against the Millennium Democratic Party. It is impossible for the president to expect the political circles, where a majority of politicians turned their backs on the president, to throw their support behind him.

The president can find anther candidate qualified for the position. What’s the point here is that the president flunked his first political test under the newly established four-party political formation. The president said that he would vigorously push for his reform agenda through asking for bi-partisan supports while not having any party membership for some time. However, the president’s plan would backfire as shown in Friday’s parliamentary rejection of the president’s nominee, leading to a negative impact on state affairs. The government and all the political parties should cooperate to minimize damage incurred from the current chaotic political situation and put state affairs on a right track.