[Editorial] Time for the GNP to Play Its Role as Opposition Party

The Grand National Party (GNP) elected Rep. Kim Deong-ryong as floor leader for the 17th National Assembly. Rep. Kim said, “I will pursue mutually enlivening politics while gearing the party towards becoming the party of congressional politics and policy.” He has taken the right direction. The nation wants to see new politics and a new opposition party. This was why GNP leader Park Geun-hye and Uri Party leader Chung Dong-young have agreed to the framework of mutually enlivening politics.

Nevertheless, the public reaction is 50 percent optimistic/ 50 percent pessimistic. There is a ray of hope in Rep. Park, who is making attempts to put the economy and public livelihood ahead of political squabbling. However, an opposition party should show its own identity and vision. It should take care of the public livelihood. At the same time, it should have its own vision, obligation, morality, intelligence, and strategy to watch and check the possible arbitrariness of the giant governing party.

This is true especially of the issue of reform. In his inaugural speech, Rep. Shin Ki-nam, the Uri Party’s new chairman, said he will concentrate his party’s resources on reform. However, does the Uri Party’s reform agenda require such urgency? The ruling party’s mode of denial in the face of the looming economic crisis, a reduction in the U.S. forces in Korea that would change the country’s security environment, the qualitative change in the Korea-U.S. alliance, and the issue over sending troops to Iraq, are all these more urgent? What is acclaimed to be the ruling party is not concentrating its energy on these urgent national issues.

If the opposition party is really determined to win the 2007 presidential election, it should criticize the ruling party for its lack of vision and the sense of responsibility, as well as its incompetence, and work hard day and night to bring out an alternative. Although the general election ended more than a month ago, the opposition party is facing criticism that the only thing the opposition GNP has done to date is its opposition to the appointment of former South Kyungsang Governor Kim Hyuk-gyu as prime minister by the government.

The nation wants an opposition party which makes its own clear voice. Taking care of the public livelihood must not be confused with the inherent duties of the opposition party.