Why is President Kim`s popularity waning?

The Democratic People`s Party (DPP), which has only two lawmakers, reportedly agreed with the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and its coalition partner, the United Liberal Democrats (ULD), to create a policy alliance. With the move, the three parties accounted for 137 parliamentary seats and thus emerged as the majority floor group for the first time since last year`s April 13 general election. The purpose of the tripartite alliance is to bring about political stability by taking advantage of their floor majority status. However, it is doubtful whether the three-way partnership will be able to realize its political aim, as the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) has moved to doggedly oppose the parliamentary restructuring, calling it an ``artificial political realignment.``

Of course, there should be little objection to the minority ruling MDP trying to forge a policy alliance with splinter parties. But a tricky question is whether the alliance was designed to allow the ruling party to retain power after the 2002 presidential election. DPP president Kim Yoon-Hwan has openly remarked that the seizure or maintenance of power could be attained through this kind of policy alliance. Although Kim may fall short of representing the views of all of the people in his home province of North Kyongsang, the tripartite ties could be conducive to creating a common front against GNP leader Lee Hoi-Chang thanks to the three-way regional combination of the southwestern provinces of Honam, the southeastern provinces of Yongnam and central Kyonggi province. Moreover, the speculation that a DPP lawmaker will be appointed as a cabinet member deepens suspicions that the tripartite alliance represents an effort at partisan collaboration.

The ruling MDP, as a minority party, has attempted to steer the legislature by recruiting more lawmakers, instead of recognizing the results of the parliamentary elections and running the state through dialogue and compromise with the opposition. The MDP reasoned that this was inevitable because the opposition party has interfered with its political and legislative initiatives. Nonetheless, it is hardly fair to say that the ruling party has done its utmost to promote a spirit of cooperation. As a result, the rival parties have remained embroiled in endless partisan strife rather than pursuing sound parliamentary action. Thus, politicians have been rendered targets of popular dismay.

Such public discontent was made manifest in the opinion polls this paper conducted last Tuesday. To the question, ``Do you think that President Kim is doing a good job,`` 47 percent of those polled responded negatively. Just 45 percent of respondents answered affirmatively. Drawing our keen attention is the fact that President Kim`s approval rating has been plummeting: 81.9 percent in polls conducted on the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration, 73.7 percent on the second anniversary and as low as 44.5 percent in the latest survey.

The ruling camp ought to humbly reflect as to why the president`s popularity has dropped by such a sizable margin. The ruling party needs to realize that pursuing politics based on the number of parliamentary seats it controls cannot bring about political stability. It needs to enlist the people`s support. Before its too late, the party should espouse the politics of collective survival or coexistence, in line with the people`s aspirations.