[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Stop the navel-gazing

I have been reading the JoongAng Daily for several years now, and find that many of your political op-ed writers tend to focus far too much on the process of politics here in the Republic of Korea, rather than on its content. Really, how many pieces need to be written about the fact that a certain writer finds Roh Moo-hyun’s governing style disagreeable, or the conduct of his staff amateurish?
What readers really want is informed commentary and analysis by experts on the meat-and-potatoes issues confronting the nation, from economics to politics to cultural policy, rather than endless subjective whinging and speechifying that tends to wind up seeming like so much hot air. You will be contributing more effectively to the local democratic process by providing readers with facts and knowledge, so that they can make more informed decisions themselves when judging and voting for their political leaders.
At the end of the day, democracy is not that complicated a political system, and this navel-gazing overemphasis on its process needs to be transcended. Content rather than style is what makes for a mature and genuine democracy.

by J. Scott Burgeson