In his speech as the Grand National Party’s floor leader on the occasion of the start of the current extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Kim Deoq Ryong called for a cooling off period on contentious issues like the National Security Law (NSL), the bill on inquiries into issues of recent history, and the Private School Law. That is a complete reversal of the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties made at the end of the year, when they agreed to deal with the bill calling for official inquiries into questions of recent Korean history and the rest of the contentious legislation bills in February’s extraordinary session.
The GNP’s stated reason for holding off on reform legislation is that the people’s welfare and the economy must come first, and that if the National Assembly attempts to deal with what is controversial first, there will be a meltdown that hinders the “politics of co-existence” and work on improving the economy. That is a dishonest assertion, however, as it distracts from what it had promised the people. There would be no reason for contention and it would not get in the way of the economy if the GNP would only keep its commitment, so the GNP is deceiving even itself.
The GNP didn’t do what it promised last year, either, after it agreed at the four-way talks to do its best to pass, by agreement, the four major reform bills within the end of the year. It even blocked the bill to abolish the NSL from reaching the Legislative and Judiciary Committee. If it is now going to retract its pledge to handle reform legislation during February all it will be doing is promoting disgust with politics. While calling for a further postponement on reform legislation and completely out of the blue, Kim claimed there is a need to discuss amending the constitution. That is just a strategy for not having reform legislation discussed at all, because obviously discourse about reform legislation will automatically disappear if the issue of constitutional revision overruns the political landscape.
At a recent study session for its members, the GNP reportedly discussed innovations that need to be made for the country to become an advanced nation and for the party to win the 2007 presidential election. It is good that conservatism is able to maintain itself through continuous self-innovation. But such plans will be futile if it considers the people’s welfare and reform to be separate issues, and without having any desire to implement reform. That is apparent even if the bill to abolish the NSL is all you look at. How can it talk of being an “advanced nation” when a country that is a liberal democracy does not maintain the key values of freedom of thought and conscience and the freedom of expression, and how can it call itself a conservative party?
The Hankyoreh, 3 February 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Promises About Reform Bills Were Lies? |
