Cabinet reshuffle runs counter to reform

It can be hardly said that Monday`s cabinet shakeup was aimed at reforming state affairs. In a nutshell, the cabinet change was characterized by the redistribution of cabinet portfolios among the United Liberal Democrats (ULD) and Democratic People`s Party (DPP) for the sake of reinforcing the coalition partnership with the ULD and the policy alliance with the DPP. The shuffle was marked by the recruitment of some of President Kim Dae-Jung`s closest loyalists, seemingly to allow Kim to tighten his grip on power.

Owing to the limited personnel pool, the newly appointed ministers are the farthest thing possible from fresh, reform-minded experts in their fields. In fact, the best thing that could be said of them is that they are mediocre politicians. President Kim may have felt the need to embrace ULD and the DPP members in order to secure a majority parliamentary force, and to firmly place ``his men`` in the governing machinery as a means of securing political stability for the remainder of his tenure. However, the compelling question is whether this sort of cabinet shuffle provides any hope for the revitalization of the stagnant administration.

Regrettably enough, our appraisal is negative in this regard. The people`s expectation was not for a shakeup of this kind. What happened to bowing to popular aspirations for a new cabinet ``dream team`` capable of renovating the national political sphere? What happened to appointing the most qualified figures by transcending factional affiliation and individual loyalties?

Although the appointments of many ULD members as ministers was said to be in line with the ``spirit of the coalition government,`` in reality, it was no more than a price for the restoration of the coalition partnership between President Kim and ULD honorary president and de facto leader Kim Jong-Pil. Moreover, it is to be noted that Rep. Chang Che-Shik of the ULD, a former Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) lawmaker who entered the ULD with the statement that he would certainly join the cabinet, was named commerce, industry and energy minister, as predicted. To recall, the splinter ULD ``borrowed`` four MDP lawmakers in order to form a floor negotiation group. This raised speculation that his ministerial appointment must have come as a result of a backroom deal between the two coalition parties.

What`s more, despite the fact that the MDP and the ULD have been experiencing difficulties in mutual policy coordination due to their different ideological stances, the ruling MDP went so far as to form a tactical alliance with the DPP. It is a wonder that the MDP was able to pursue a coalition partnership with the ULD, in view of the fact that the splinter party members developed serious intra-party strife over the question of whether to join the MDP or not. For this reason, the ruling camp has come under fire for its determination to expand its political clout while neglecting the execution of state affairs.

The absence of two names from the list of reassigned cabinet ministers even further undermines the shakeup`s credibility. To recall, the nation`s economic team was responsible for ignoring the economic reform ideal through the implementation of policies that ran counter to international practices and causing confusion in the financial market by introducing inappropriate policy measures and making ill-advised remarks. Nonetheless, the deputy prime minister for finance and economy and senior presidential secretary for economic affairs were retained. Just as disappointingly, the new ministers for commerce, industry and energy; construction and transportation; and maritime affairs and fisheries are officials who have little experience in their respective fields. At this juncture, President Kim should humbly accept public criticism for a cabinet shakeup that wasn`t much of a shakeup at all.