Members of a Chinese dance troupe formed by handicapped people display the shape of Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion, during their performance in Nagoya, central Japan, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005. The handicapped artists visited Japan at the invitation of organizations of Japanese handicapped people. (AP Photo/Kyodo News, Shohei Kumamoto)



The ruling party reforms

The ruling party is troubled after a crushing defeat of the by-election of Oct. 26th. President Roh Moo Hyun said, "The government should take the result of the by-election as the people's evaluation of its policies. The ruling party should not be agitated over the defeat, but devoted itself during the ordinary session of the National Assembly." Some members of the Uri Party are still complaining and criticizing one another. After all, Rep. Moon Hee-sang, chairman of the Uri Party, and the leadership of the central committee of the ruling party resigned en masse from their positions.

Because of the resignation of the leadership of the Uri Party, they have to reform across the board. Yesterday, a number of voices spoke out in self-examination for a change of the ruling party, during a reception for the party members and the central committee leaders. "The personnel management only for the same political circles must be eradicated." Personnel management in officialdom should be fairly conducted without adherence to regionalism, school relations, and kinship, as well as political line. "The cabinet members must all step down and reshuffle the Cabinet." "The president regards the ruling party as his subordinate." "Is the president faultless?" the blame from party members were readily directed at Cheong Wa Dae. It is believed that there may come a deep divide between the ruling party and the Blue House.

Some people are worrying that the cacophony of the ruling party may cause political instability. While they are in confusion for the moment, they may neglect the economy, the people’s livelihood. The Blue House is firstly responsible for the instability of the political situation. President, Roh should listen to the opinions of the party members who attended the reception. He should never disregard their opinions as disrespectful remarks. In the past, President Roh took a stand on the political front line and the ruling party agreed and followed him powerlessly. The result was that the ruling party suffered crushing defeats in the by-election.

On the other hand, the Uri Party isn't free from blame over the by-election defeats. Although they have nearly half of the seats in the National Assembly, they couldn't wield their political power. They should not blame only the Blue House. The support rate for the president is in the range of 20%, and that of the ruling party is 10%. With these poor rates, they could not win in the by-elections. Political reform of the Blue House and the ruling party may raise their supporting rates. When they devote themselves to the public welfare and try to reflect the people's expectations, they can win the confidence of the people.
/ 입력시간: 2005. 10.31. 09:16