Supramen needed

Putting words into action is the best way to move people’s hearts. When a person talks about something, he must heed his own sentiments and take responsibility for his words. The Roh Moo-hyun administration disappointed people because its members talked a lot but their words didn’t lead to any action.

President Lee Myung-bak apologized to the people 87 days after his inauguration. Many people thought the Lee administration would be different from Roh’s, which is why some people feel disappointed and bitter.

Considering that former Korean presidents apologized for misuse of power or corruption in the latter phases of their terms, President Lee must feel terrible right now.

The president’s message to the people took eight minutes, and it contained a sincere apology. He said he was heartbroken to see young students gathered at candlelit rallies in Cheonggye Plaza, central Seoul, beside the stream he worked hard to restore.

He also said he is responsible for the whole confusion, which is an accurate take on the situation.

However, it is worrying if saying sorry won’t change anything. An apology to the entire nation must be followed by action. It is a concern that the president didn’t talk about follow-up measures in his message.

After all, it would be a waste of time if he says everything is his fault but he doesn’t do anything about it. A president secures the trust of the people by keeping his word.

The reasons the Lee administration is regarded as incompetent are becoming apparent. Members of the administration are working hard but they don’t seem to consider whether people want the things that they are working on or whether they follow proper procedures.

The president should work less and think more about these questions. By answering these questions, the administration can become more competent.

The president asked the 17th National Assembly to ratify a Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, even though the National Assembly has only one week left in its term. He appealed to the National Assembly to do so because the issue is urgent.

We should have free trade with the United States, before Japan or China does, in order to overcome our current status, forever stuck between two neighbors.

We can’t waste the chance to create 300,000 new jobs because of domestic political issues. Even if we don’t like the current administration, we should identify the issues that we agree on and others that we should resist and reformulate.

The ratification of the free trade pact must be handled in a suprapartisan way.