[Editorial] President Faces Opposition from His Supporters, But Support from Opponents

Pros and cons are debating fiercely over whether the South Korean government should send troops to the Gulf area in support of the coalition forces. After President Roh announced the decision, a considerable number of his own party members, or the Millennium Democrats, oppose the decision, delaying passage of the bill through the National Assembly. In addition, his supporting group Nosamo and the National Human Rights Commission have voiced their opposition. Thus, many people are wondering what President Roh really intends as to deployment of the troops.

The ambiguity of his position is adding fuel to the social confusion. With pros and cons holding more and more rallies of their own, the rallies seem to turn into confrontations between the two sides. Antiwar groups are threatening to wage campaigns against the Congressmen who vote for the deployment in the next general election. The Seoul subway labor union also promises to walk out on the job if the decision goes through the National Assembly. But they have simply crossed the line. The war is not about us. Nonetheless, we are fighting with each other because of it, which should not be ignored any longer.

The moment the President elected to send troops, it became a reality to us. Moreover, it is the promise of one nation to another. Thus, if the National Assembly fails to approve it, our whole nation will suffer a lot from the breach of the promise. This issue will first test President Roh`s political ability.

It is wrong for Millennium Democrats to jump on the wagon and block the passage, since they share the role of the "national operator" with the president. The politicians we expect are those who could stand up against populism when the whole nation benefits from their doing so. We need them more when the national security is at risk. At this critical moment, if a politician refrains from doing so out of the fear of losing his or her seat in the next year`s general election, he or she should not have become a politician at all.

To prevent this nation from getting more and more divided, President Roh should persuade his own party members with his more clear-cut position. If that effort fails, then he should leave the matter to be decided by vote, and follow whatever result comes out. It would be desirable for all the National Assembly members to participate and decide the issue. It is an act of a coward or a tyrant to argue only one`s own position without taking any action or accepting the result to come out in vote.