What the lack of humility implies

Columns

What the lack of humility implies

Published: 30 Jul. 2024, 20:24

Kang Won-taek
The author is a professor of political science and international studies at Seoul National University.

I never had high expectations about the National Assembly, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. I am talking about the 22nd legislature, which has started its term two months ago. It is nothing special to see political factions fighting against one another, but I still feel sad to see the low level of our lawmakers, this country’s political elite. Rather than showing dignity and restraint, their actions are no different from street fights full of shouting, name-calling and profanity.

In the National Assembly, we often see a lawmaker calling his or her fellow lawmaker a “liar” or a “coward.” But in countries with better politics, those words are considered unparliamentary language that hurt the legislature’s dignity.

If British lawmakers used such words in the Parliament, they would be reprimanded by the Speaker of the House of Commons and possibly even banned from the parliament for a certain period of time. That’s because a good temper and moderation are considered fundamental to parliamentary politics. Compared to the development of other areas of our society, politics still seem to be stuck in the fourth-class level of a developing country.

While both the governing and opposition parties are to blame for this, the majority Democratic Party (DP) has more to blame. There are many factors that deserve criticism, but the Legislation and Judiciary Committee deserves the most serious criticism. The chairman of the committee — whose unrefined words and authoritative demeanor have often raised the public’s eyebrows — is a four-term lawmaker. I wonder how he has learned politics in the National Assembly over such a long period of time.

The DP in general does not look much different from Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the committee chair. DP members have no hesitation in showing off their power. A typical example is impeachment. Impeachment should be used in very exceptional and limited circumstances, but it has become an easy political tool to pressure the executive and judicial branches. In the absence of a compelling case for impeachment, the majority party abuses its power for partisan interests.

The DP seems to believe that if it uses its power in the legislature to pressure the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, it will increase its chance of winning the next presidential election. But the people who are closely watching the current situation think differently. They are worried about what will happen to our politics if this party wins presidency, in addition to its power in the National Assembly. Just because it has a majority in the legislature, it is pressuring the executive and judiciary branches as well. If it takes the presidency, everything will fall under its control.

With its 175 lawmakers, the DP can control about 190 seats in the National Assembly if it can get support from its allies. If such a political force takes control of the presidency and the executive branch, it will likely pressure the judiciary more severely. Eventually, we may see a situation where one political force monopolizes all powers. Then, the separation of powers and the principle of checks and balances will not work.

Worse, today’s DP seems to be a monolithic, unified party where dissent is not tolerated. In this case, if the DP wins the presidential election, the party’s leader — the president — will be in control of all of the country’s branches. The concentration of power has always worked negatively for democracies.

Although it dominates the political arena, the DP has not been able to demonstrate any real political power. The DP showed unilateralism by force. In a world under the party’s control after it wins the presidential power, the temptation of unilateralism will be greater, and the conflicts and confrontations in our society will intensify.

Given these circumstances, the thrill of power the DP enjoys in the legislature could become poison for the party if it is not restrained. The opposition party is also called the government-in-waiting. Opposing the administration and the governing party is not everything for the opposition. It must demonstrate its ability to govern the country if the party wins the presidential election.

Power that is not humble will eventually be rejected by the people. President Yoon was already punished by voters for this in the last parliamentary election. In the next election, it will likely be the DP that will be judged for its lack of humility.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.