[Editorial] Government Only Blowing its Whistle at Infringement

It is as if a policeman is blowing his whistle at the face of a traffic violation but not actually taking any action. He acts as if his job is finished just by notifying the driver of his violation. Insert “government” in the place of “policeman” and the above almost exactly describes Korea’s current situation.

When it comes to violation of the law banning collective action regarding the general elections or the president’s impeachment, the government is saying one thing, while doing another, fostering disrespect for the law and further illegal activities. Public employees are participating in collective action or political declarations, clearly banned under laws on public employees and educators.

The government announced that it will indict the leadership of the Korean Government Employees Union, which has openly declared its support for the MDP, and will indict and penalize the leaders of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers` Union (KTEWU) for their political speech. If the administration does not take a firm stance on these issues, thus failing to establish order in the public services arena, Koreans and foreigners alike will lose what little confidence they have for the “government that could not enforce the law.”

The National Elections Commission has called on the government to halt all gatherings regarding the impeachment from April 2, fearing influence on the upcoming elections. The administration has looked the other way when vigils were held to oppose President Roh’s impeachment, even after concluding that the rallies were violating the law on assembly and demonstration. The concerns over the aftermath of forcefully disbanding the large-scale gatherings are understandable. However, the breach cannot be allowed to continue with the general elections looming close. Just blowing one’s whistle is not enough. The sincerity of Acting President Goh Kun’s determination to hold fair elections is put to test.

It is also high time civil groups respond to senior politicians’ pleas to suspend the rallies, since they have sufficiently and eloquently expressed their opinions. Though freedom to express one’s opinion on the impeachment should be protected, it will not bode well to take advantage of this freedom to wage a political campaign on the streets.