Passing the political buck

Politics is in chaos. Two factions have split away from the ruling Uri Party, and it is unclear where they will throw their political weight.
Those who have left the party have not given up their high positions at the National Assembly, but that doesn’t mean they are trying to escape responsibility.
It seems clear what the defectors want. Kim Han-gill, who led the exodus, said that the way to responsibly represent supporters is to win the presidential election. He also said that he could not just wait for defeat because there was no chance of winning as part of the Uri Party.
Mr. Kim is implying that as long as the Uri Party remains divided between those who support and those who oppose President Roh Moo-hyun, the party has no chance of victory. They are trying to avoid responsibility for the failure of the past four years and create a new format.
Lawmaker Kim said that policies or ideologies are not behind the split.
If this is the case, the renegades must be trying to rekindle regional conflicts, as President Roh said when he voiced opposition to their departure.
Mr. Kim cried out for the unification of moderate reformists who support democracy and peace. But that is nothing but a fancy slogan empty of real content.
It appears as if Mr. Kim is trying to pass the buck to someone else to hide the return to regionalism.
What’s more strange is that both those who stayed and those who left assure each other that they will meet again. Mr. Kim said they would get together in the end.
The Uri Party says it will leave senior positions that the defectors used to fill empty. Why does the party want to do that when it plans to hold a convention next week?
The party is like a husband and wife going a divorce who seek mutual gain even though they are no longer together.
Party politics is responsible politics. The people allowed the Uri Party to assume power and to gain a majority in the National Assembly.
But who will take responsibility for the people’s hardship? If the party changes its name twice and tries to escape responsibility for wrongdoing using political maneuvering, it is the people who will suffer.
Furthermore, it looks like they will create a new party by reuniting the factions. This is an irresponsible and selfish act.
It will be brazen if they ask the people to entrust power to them once again.