[EDITORIALS]Regaining a legislative majority

Supreme Court rulings that two governing Uri Party lawmakers violated campaign laws last April have stripped the party of its majority in the National Assembly.
Of course, there is the possibility that the party will regain the majority of seats through the by-elections that are to be held in a month.
We would like to ask the Uri Party not to try anything rash in the by-elections in its desperation over losing its majority.
Looking back on the past year, the Uri Party knows quite well that holding the majority of seats is not the solution to all problems. Since the last general election, the party, with its majority of seats, has tried to play politics by strength of numbers.
It is undeniable that democracy is a system based on the rule of the majority. However, when the Uri Party tried to push ahead on its “four major bills,” including abolishing the National Security Law, it failed to win the support of the public. Thus, the four legislative motions are still pending in the Assembly.
In the end, it is not whether a party holds the majority of seats or not that matters in pursuing a policy choice, but whether it gains public consent or not. The reason that the Uri Party could not follow through with the four major proposals was because it did not have public support, and because the Grand National Party protested vehemently, knowing that the public did not support the Uri Party’s motions.
In such a situation, having the majority of seats does not mean much. Even in principle, representative politics and democracy can only mature properly through the general practice of discussion and compromise. Without such practices, we run the risk of a tyranny of the majority or a popular dictatorship.
From this point of view, the Uri Party should not be obsessed with keeping its numbers, but should concentrate on upgrading the quality of politics. This can be achieved through discussion, persuasion and respect for the opinion of the minority; these are the essential elements of democracy and representative government. Instead of enforcing politics with ideological rigidity, we should accept our differences with practical flexibility.
By implementing this higher level of politics, we can also ensure a healthy rule of the majority. This is also why politicians should not try any rash campaigning with the by-elections ahead.