[EDITORIALS]Reshuffling seems inevitable

A reshuffling of the cabinet and Blue House secretariat appears inevitable ― even the prime minister is blaming the president. This administration seems to have no future. Ministers are reversing what had been agreed upon at cabinet meetings. Blue House secretaries are publicly engaging in debates over already-announced national policies while the president is traveling abroad on diplomatic trips. Ignoring the discord of this administration is negligence of duty.
Prime Minister Goh Kun recently told the National Assembly that the president, his aides and administration officials are responsible for the nation’s instability. For the past eight months, many have criticized the prime minister for not speaking up. Mr. Goh, normally tightlipped, said the Blue House and cabinet were responsible for the current situation, and we see that as meaningful.
Mr. Goh is never free from this situation. Under the constitution, the prime minister is responsible for supporting the president and supervising the cabinet. We wonder if Mr. Goh properly assisted President Roh Moo-hyun in governing the nation. If the administration is responsible for the current governance fiasco, the prime minister should stand at the center of responsibility.
The discord among the Blue House secretaries over the decision to dispatch troops to Iraq is also absurd. Some secretaries reportedly said that they would step down if combat forces were deployed. While the president ordered his aides to remain silent on the issue, officials were making the dispatch an established fact. Then, the senior presidential secretary for public participation criticized the officials on a nationwide broadcast.
Presidential aides can have different opinions and can debate over an issue. But the nation is sharply divided over the dispatch, and any overt discord among Blue House aides will only worsen the split.
The new People’s Participatory and Unity Party, the de facto ruling party, is calling for a reshuffling of the cabinet and the Blue House. The ruling politicians have agreed that the current officials are incompetent. It is now time for Mr. Roh to make up his mind.