[Editorial] Missing Governance and Rampant Political Maneuvering

The Uri Party yesterday submitted a revision of the Special Fact-Finding Law on Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Collaboration during the Japanese Occupation report, which more broadly defines pro-Japanese collaborators. The amendment is allegedly an attempt to right the wrongs of history. However, as it is eliciting criticism from the opposition Grand National Party, which says that the amendment is aimed at oppressing the opposition party and gagging the media which is critical of the government, the country will be likely mired into another round of confusion.

Even before the amendment, the entire nation is being ached by the controversy over the capital relocation plans. Following President Roh’s tying the opposition to the plans with his course of action in office and his criticism of newspapers that are negative to the plans, the ruling party and government appear to have turned this issue into a political stand-off rather than a rational debate. Along the way, the antagonism and conflict between regions, between classes, and between the central and local government have engulfed. To add insult to injury, the fact finding of pro-Japanese collaboration has emerged as another point of social contention. We would not deny the legitimate case for the historical resolution of the issue of pro-Japanese collaboration. However, we would question whether it is the time to prioritize it at the cost of causing controversy.

What the public wants the politicians to do now is to address the bread-and-butter issues. Since it won a majority in the elections, and since President Roh was reinstated from impeachment, the ruling party has on numerous occasions showed its resolution for it. However, it has been engaged in political feuds by taking issue with bygones such as its proposal for the reinvestigation of the 1987 midair explosion of a Korean Airliner while it has put issues of public livelihood on the backburner.

It should be noted that the ruling party submitted the amendment at a time when it is affronting the opposition party and the critical media over the capital relocation plans. It begs a question as it submitted a revision of the law that has yet to take effect. This is why we cannot but doubt about the transparency of the reason for the amendment: there may be a political stratagem behind the fact-finding mission on Japanese collaboration.

How can there be stable governance and intact public livelihood when there is not a single day that is tranquil?