[EDITORIALS]A political ploy?

President Roh Moo-hyun posted a letter on the Blue House homepage titled “Korean politics must go back to normal.” The letter is a follow-up to his “coalition government” comment.
Mr. Roh called the present political situation abnormal because of the small-governing party and large-opposition structure of the National Assembly. The solution is a coalition government, he said, but it is hard to bring up the issue because of criticism that it is an illicit union.
His point was that reform is being frustrated because of the large opposition in the Assembly. He also claimed that because a president does not have the right to dissolve the Assembly, the government is driven into a corner and the administration is not properly managed. Thus, he suggested the need for an alternative and said he has that alternative but the time is not ripe. He called for public discussion of the issue.
The president’s view is illogical. To begin with, he attributed all responsibility for abnormal management of the administration to the small-governing and large-opposition structure of the National Assembly. Can the Assembly be the only reason that the administration is in its current state? Is it because of the National Assembly that real estate prices keep booming while the economy, which was supposed to be recovering by this year, continues to collapse?
Mr. Roh must truly be honest. He only seems to be employing artifice and misdirection by attributing the responsibility for the failure in administration to the National Assembly. This is indeed irresponsible speech and behavior.
The governing party is only a few seats short of a majority in the Assembly. When it cannot lead the Assembly, it is not because of a large opposition but because of its own incapability. This appears to be nothing but a suggestion to discuss a power structure reshuffle, with a “cabinet system” in mind. If that is the case, he must frankly express his stance. If he is not considering an amendment to the Constitution to install such a system, he must also clearly say so. That is the way to reduce any abnormal elements of administrative management. To cause an unnecessary divergence of public opinion is the most abnormal way to run the administration.
The question remains whether such a discussion is needed at this time. The president is only engaged in a political ploy, leaving the affairs of state in a mess. He should not create unnecessary trouble.