[Opinion] Old But Wise Politicians

The Judicial Committee of the National Assembly exploded in a tense session Monday. Former and present Uri Party members pushed for prosecution of the two leading Grand National Party (“GNP”) presidential candidates Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, alleging, “Lee and Park violated the election law.” In response, GNP legislators yelled at the accusers across the aisle. “Are you taking your campaign here?” shouted Ahn Sang-soo, the angry committee chairman.

Uri lawmakers and Vice Speaker Lee Yong-hee added to the heated atmosphere, saying, “I don’t know how my fellow Uri members may react to this, but I have to say that we know better than this. There are some lines we should not cross. We have to treat GNP candidates with decency and respect.” He asked his fellow Uri lawmakers to put themselves in the GNP’s shoes. Then, he warned them, “Who knows who will win the election?” His voice was calm and soft. But its resonance still buzzes in our ears. An old and wise politician was giving advice to younger, “fledgling” members of the assembly.

Lee is the oldest among the incumbent legislative members. Four-term lawmaker Lee is 76 now. But he has lost more than he has won. He has run for various posts 13 times and won only five of them. He knows the ups and downs of life. He often says, “To be served, you should serve the others.” It represents how he has lived and what he has learned from it. Despite constant advice and “nudges,” he promises to not run again. He will retire at the end of this term.

There was another old and wise man at the session: Representative Cho Sun-hyeong from the Democratic Party. “President Roh ordered government agencies to look into the promises of GNP candidates, and see whether they were plausible. That is unconstitutional and illegal,” criticized Cho. As a six-term member of the National Assembly, he committed virtual political suicide when he endorsed the impeachment bill against President Roh in 2005. But he came back, and undoubtedly knows more about life and politics.

Most politicians engage in bouts of finger pointing and blaming. These under-qualified politicians should learn from their old “pals.”

Lee Jin-nyeong, Editorial Writer, jinnyong@donga.com