[Focus] Ruling party caught in ¡®reform fatigue¡¯

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) is heaving a deep sigh due to ominous moves by the farmers and laborers, coupled with the medical turmoil and economic woes.

The most worrisome development for the beleaguered MDP is the fresh outbreaks of the farmers' radical collective activities, in addition to the partisan standoff stemming from the controversy over the abortive parliamentary vote on the impeachment motions against the top state prosecutors.

Such being the case, the party policy committee was busy holding its session for hammering out remedial measures and meetings with interest groups, although the task is primary in the hands of the administration.

Amid the flurries, the ruling party was endeavoring to strike out counter-steps with different approaches to the farmers and urban workers.

With regard to the two major labor organizations, the party is not in a position to knuckle under to their demands, as they run counter to the projected reforms in four major sectors. Yet there is room left for the negotiations with them on timing and scales of the restructuring of the public enterprises and the National Railway Administration through the joint administration-party consultation and the tripartite council of labor, management and government.

On the other hand, concerning the question of alleviating farm debts, the party members have come up with a sympathetic attitude. This is why the MDP quickly put forward a policy package to relieve the debt burden on the farmers Wednesday, just after the debt-ridden farmers' staged massive demonstrations against the government's agricultural policies.

There also are voices heard in the party, expressing a "fatigue from reforms." Regarding the medical turmoil, some members recalled that the incident was too burdensome for the minority ruling party to bear and thus was faltering, adding that the incident is a nightmare that is the last thing to remember.

However, there is a considerable hard-line insistence in the party, saying that the government should have stringently cope with the farmers' radical demonstrations.

Shin Kee-Nam, director of the Third Policy Coordination Office, cautioned that the politicians were pushed around by the interest groups and attempting to influence the government's policy-making process, for fears of negative impacts on their parliamentary elections and the maintenance of political power.

Rep. Kim Keun-Tae, a party supreme council member, called upon the politicians to reflect on themselves, noting that how they dare to demand the interest groups compromise, while the politicians are unable to do so.

The MDP is struggling hard between the hard-line or moderate approaches to the interest groups, on the ground that if the ruling camp fails to take a strict posture against the interest groups, the projected structural reform would be futile, and if it takes a harsh stance, there are fears of losing votes.