[Editorial] The Ruling Party Should Know Why It Received the Cold Shoulder

The ruling Uri Party has been totally wiped out at in the June 5 by-election. Its vigorous election campaigning, even causing subsequent inner leadership conflicts, just resulted in winning only four chiefs of Broad Districts, while the Grand National Party and the Millennium Democratic Party won all except the four. When it comes to Basic Unit elections, the ruling party took only three spots out of 19 chiefs of Basic Units, and six spots out of 38 Assemblymen of Broad districts. In particular, at elections in Seoul and its adjacent area for chief of the Basic Unit, a barometer of people’s overall opinions, the Grand National Party swept all of the five chief positions, insinuating something beyond visual results. In short, the ruling party was completely torn down.

Even though it is not the national elections and the voting rate remained as low as 28.5 percent, the fact that almost all the candidates from the ruling party lost the election is not just a thing we can accept as it is. Some sources from ruling party stated, “The voting rate is so low that it is not that meaningful.” How could they take such hands-off attitude?

Korean people carried the ruling party to victory in last April’s general election, thus helping the party to be the majority party in the National Assembly. Their choice must come from belief that the ruling party will carry out national affairs with responsibility. However, President Roh Moo-hyun and his ruling party have since suggested nothing that proves their choice was right. There are only talks shouting ‘”reform” and “improving livelihood,” but no plan showing which reform they will give preference to or what kinds of vision they hold for the affairs of state. Rather, they are tiring people more and adding more complexity onto national administration due to their clumsy operations.

Even worse, President Roh betrayed his promise on political cooperation and co-existence, proclaimed in his public statement right after the Constitutional Court’s reversal on his impeachment, by maintaining his inclination of parting his part and other’s parts, which was discerned with his statement of “good progression and evil conservation.” Furthermore, recent disparities among Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling party, and opposition parties over the appointment of Kim Hyuk-kyu as a new Prime Minister seem also far from the politics stressing political cooperation, and putting a top priority into the improvement of people’s livelihood.

While attempting a cabinet reshuffle in a move against the constitution, the prime minister left his office and the acting prime minister is inevitably assuming his position now. Besides, three ministries have been waiting for new ministers since the announcement of a new appointment was made. Under such circumstances, the ruling party, rather than playing a leading role in easing such situations, seemed only engaged with post struggles without the leverage of party leadership. In recent times, over economic policies such as whether to open net prices of apartments for installment sales, the government and parties, even within the party’s leadership, showed clear divisions with one another

In addition, it is problematic to nominate figures all from the Yeongnam area in the last by-election. Under the name of the demolishment of local antagonism, the ruling party offered high positions more to figures from Yeongnam, and even established special committees for the development of the Yeongnam area. Such initiative, however, ended up stimulating other parties to flare up local antagonism to lure residents in other areas. For example, the development of Yeongnam area was the most popular issue of campaigning in the Honam area.

The ruling party must mull over whether such happenings may lead to unstable national administration as well as hamper national trust in the party. Besides, the party has to think twice whether they exercised undue powers, boosted by the outcomes of the general election.

The ruling party should read people’s minds squarely. This must be possible only when the party makes all-out efforts for improving national administration and transforming the party itself, while keeping in mind primary causes of its loss in the election. Also, it should work hard for the enhancement of people’s livelihood, economic recovery, and stable national administration. What people are interested is not reform, but practical measures for their livelihoods.