[EDITORIALS]Desperate measures

The Millennium Democratic Party, once the ruling party and formerly the party of President Kim Dae-jung, is reportedly debating a series of innovative policies to overhaul governmental administration, including creating a neutral cabinet.

The party is also considering requesting Representative Kim Hong-il, the president's eldest son, to resign from the party, asking the president's second son, Kim Hong-up, to voluntarily appear before the prosecution for his alleged implications in corruption cases, nationalizing the president's Peace Foundation and forming a neutral cabinet government.

These are measures clearly intended to surmount major hurdles holding back the party before Thursday's local elections and the December 19 presidential election. The party's presidential nominee, Roh Moo-hyun, who vowed to inherit both the "debt and assets" of President Kim Dae-jung during the party primaries, said, in a clear attempt to distance himself, "If necessary, I will step over President Kim Dae-jung."

The best attitude for a major political party to have is to make up for past errors and to improve. A germane question is the sincerity of such an attitude. The Millennium Democratic Party's steps stem from a sense of crisis that the party may face defeat in Thursday elections. Every major opinion survey shows the party lagging behind the Grand National Party in every area throughout the nation except in the southwestern region of South and North Jeolla provinces. Thus, the group of steps may have come as a last resort for the beleaguered party. That is why the Grand National Party criticizes the Millennium Democratic Party's announcement as a "feigned confession."

Repenting and correcting one's mistakes are all the better the more expediently they are done. But such efforts must carry sincerity as well as a soul-searching effort. The party should not attempt to merely throw punches in the dark by trying to create a new political party or other slipshod plans. A temporary effort at tinkering with party platforms, policies and lip service are nothing but deceptions of the public.