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&#91EDITORIALS&#93It has come to fisticuffs

Published: 06 Sep. 2003, 00:37

Just mouthing the words “political reform” is revolting, following the party meeting at the governing Millennium Democratic Party that took place the day before yesterday. The meeting turned into total chaos where hair and chairs were yanked, and fellow Millennium Democrats shouted “Knock ’em,” and “Crush ’em.”
The new and old leadership may have been attempting to give legitimacy to their respective factions by highlighting the negatives of their rival. But what they accomplished with the ugly fighting is political death. Voters are disgusted at the quality of politics in the nation.
The Millennium Democratic Party has been deeply immersed in internal fighting despite the numerous grave issues South Korea faces. Tensions have been high on the Korean Peninsula this year, prompting all four surrounding superpowers to aggressively engage in diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear program. Domestically, social anxiety is peaking in the face of one of the worst economic situations since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. More and more businesses are taking their operations abroad, and suicides among the desperate despairing over unemployment and mounting household debts are rising. But the governing party has distanced itself from these problems.
What the governing party should know is that people have no expectations as far as the party is concerned. Those who want to split should do so. Why live under one roof, and be miserable and make other people miserable as well? Those who want to create a new political party should go ahead and do so. Nobody has the patience to listen to the shallow political rhetoric hiding the true intentions of the two factions. Frankly, we have never seen a governing party in the history of Korean politics so divided and lost.
We would like to know what President Roh Moo-hyun’s real intentions are. What is the reason for his silence regarding the party fracas? How can these legislators tackle the serious issues gripping the nation if they keep on fighting?