[EDITORIALS]Grand Nationals acting badly

It was a wrong move on the part of the Grand National Party legislators to defile President Roh Moo-hyun with profanity and puns. Although they did it through a satirical play, that does not excuse their actions. The play relays strong political intentions that are difficult to gloss over with the explanation that “a play is only a play.”
This particular play poses far more serious questions than the parody that involved Chairwoman Park Geun-hye, which harassed Ms. Park sexually. The parody concerning Ms. Park was the fault of a Blue House official, and an anonymous online writer, who pasted Ms. Park’s picture on a movie poster, created the parody. But the opposition lawmakers actually took part in the play in question.
In describing the president, the lawmakers used crude words that cannot be repeated. The Grand National Party leadership reportedly watched the play in great joy, clapping and laughing. If this should attest to the level of the Grand National Party’s sense of morality, we cannot help but to deplore them.
It is hard to fathom why the Grand Nationals were so livid about the Park parody when they don’t hesitate to resort to such means themselves.
This foul play clearly illustrates the serious malaise suffered by Korean politics, which is degenerating by the day. The lawmakers of the 17th National Assembly are too focused using provocative language and pandering to voters. Lawmakers, instead of concentrating on drafting legislation, are engaged in plays and musical concerts. The younger the legislator, the stronger this tendency.
If this is lawmakers’ way of carrying through on their pledge to embark on “new politics,” we are greatly disappointed. A politician may easily promote and reach out to the public in this way, but it is not the right way. We cannot expect politics to mature and grow to another level through expedient populism.
The real problem here may be the political parties’ desire to do anything to boost their popularity. That kind of mindset is what drags down the quality of our politics. If the opposition thought that the public would be happy with such a play, they are gravely mistaken.
Is staging a coarse play the only thing the party can do with taxpayers’ money? It may win over some people, but it’s the fastest way to sully the quality of dialogue in politics.