[EDITORIALS]Party dialogue is welcome

The heads of Our Open Party and the Grand National Party are expected to meet soon. More than a month is left before the upcoming National Assembly will open its official session, but pending issues cannot wait. We, therefore, welcome the agreement to hold the summit before the formal session. To arrange this meeting, Our Open Party agreed that it would not include President Roh’s impeachment on the agenda, and the Grand National Party willingly accepted the proposal. Both parties behaved maturely.
We agree with Our Open Party Chairman Chung Dong-young’s remark that “90 percent of national affairs involves the economy.” He said, “When there are good jobs, obstacles can be removed,” and we also agree with that. Our Open Party, which has the majority of seats in the Assembly, must show a sense of responsibility at the summit.
Grand National Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye said she would not physically bar any bills from being considered by the Assembly. “A political party that passes a bill will have to assume responsibility for its action,” Ms. Park said. Her remarks were also appropriate. The Assembly thus would regain the core ideal of democracy ― decision-making by the majority ― which has long been lost in our politics.
The planned summit will be an opportunity to inform the public of how the ruling and opposition parties will develop their relationship in the upcoming Assembly session. The two leaders must discuss issues related to the people’s livelihood seriously and produce practical results.
Recognizing each other is the most important attitude the parties should have at the talks. They must stop calling themselves good and the other evil. It is also desirable to include the Democratic Labor Party, the Millennium Democratic Party and the United Liberal Democrats in the dialogue.
The parties should establish a variety of communication channels, such as meetings between policymakers, in addition to the summit. Meeting with the president is a matter that can be determined after the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the impeachment, but it is also desirable for the government to actively participate in the talks among politicians to exchange opinions.