[Editorial] President Should Reform State Affairs Management

President Roh Moo-hyun said, “Parties must be the center of politics. My future course and the future vision of Korea will be announced around the beginning of the next year,” as a response to the criticism from the ruling Uri Party about the crushing defeat in last week’s by-elections.

He expressed his will to keep Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan in office, and in response to calls that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Health and Welfare Minister Kim Geun-tae should come back to the party, the president said that it is up to the individual ministers. He did not mention any measures to reform human resource management at Cheong Wa Dae or the government.

The president has two years and four months left in his term, but there have already been talks about his lame duck status. Against this backdrop, the state management of the president does not seem proper.

If Roh’s remark that parties should be at the center of politics means that he will not try another political move such as creating a “coalition government,” it should be welcomed. In reality, it is difficult for him to produce intended results with his surprise tactics, since he has lost the public’s confidence. It is likely that his intervention in politics will lead to problems in state affairs.

However, he should put forth measures to reform state and human resource management in his administration. Up until now, he has praised his state management highly, even when the public thinks otherwise. He is advised to sincerely reflect on his state management and reveal what should be corrected.

Nevertheless, he failed to mention these issues. He does not seem to take the current situation seriously.

In particular, his will to keep the prime minister in office is far from a desirable measure to control state affairs. The prime minister is none other than the one who, along with Roh, mismanaged state affairs and lost the public’s confidence. Therefore, Roh’s will to let the prime minister remain in office can be viewed as his failure to fully grasp the reality or his will to intentionally ignore public sentiment.

Whether or not the unification minister and the health and welfare minister will return to the party is the business of the party and has nothing to do with measures to control state affairs.

I wonder how accurately he understands the reality of ordinary people’s livelihood. It is questionable whether the remark that “the economy-first principle is a prime example of demagogic politics” that he made a month ago is still his belief. He is urged to clearly express his plans to manage state affairs, which are his responsibility.