People Suffer From Indecisive Policies

Citizens are up in arms over government indecisiveness. Major policies which directly affect people such as the National Pension Plan and the curtailment of pharmacists powers to treat customers are suffering from the government's inability to make a decision.
Despite five years of debate and planning, on February 25 the Ministry of Health and Welfare indefinitely delayed the new regulations that would see the end of pharmists basically treating and supplying drugs to people without a doctor's prescription.
The government had announced earlier that the new regulations would go into effect in July 1999, but that will be postponed to sometime in the year 2000. The proposal had ignited a war between pharmacists and the medical association with doctors advocating a system more in line with western countries.
It is apparent that pharmacists effectively lobbied the government to get the reprieve. Lobbyists play on the government's fear of alienating a group of voters. As general elections loom, parties do not want to lose any ground.
On February 25, civilian groups voiced there concerns stating that important medical reform is suffering from government negligence and the self-interest of lobby groups. They demanded the implementation of new laws governing prescriptions and medicine, and called for the punishment of ministry officials who claimed the delay was due to a lack of adequate preparation.
The National Pension Plan has been tinkered with by politicians in a haphazard way. The plan originally was meant to include all Koreans, automatically without exceptions. Now people can opt out of the system if for example they cite they cannot afford it. Private businessmen regularly delay monthly payments into the plan and do not suffer any penalties.
The calculation of fees has not been adjusted to changes in salaries as it was based on 1997 pre-economic crisis levels. Citizens are justifiably angry at the plan's exorbitant price and politicians who cannot take decisive action.