It appears president Roh Moo Hyun and Grand National Party (GNP) chairwoman Park Geun Hye are going to have a meeting. This actually feels late in coming, since it will be the first exclusive get-together since Park became chairwoman last year. One hopes it will be a time when they two can have serious and frank discussion about the whole range of questions facing the nation.
It's clear the biggest topic of discussion is going to be the issue of a "coalition government" that has created such a stir on the political scene. It is the GNP that Roh is talking about when he proposes a coalition, so the meeting will be an important chance to feel out each other's true intentions. Park must hear Roh out in full, but Roh must not unleash a unilateral "lecture" either. If Park listens to what he has to say and changes her mind so that she is willing to accept a coalition that's one thing, but if she's not then Roh should stop bringing up the subject. It is unsightly to have to watch someone pestering someone who just isn't interested. The unnecessary attrition warfare over the coalition idea should be put to an end as soon as possible.
Roh should take the opportunity to clearly express a position about revising the constitution. Cheong Wa Dae denies it but the final destination of the coalition Roh is thinking about deep down inside is constitutional revision, and the growing view in political circles is that the most likely scenario would be to change the country's governing structure from the current presidential system to a parliamentary one. Roh should cut it with the smoke screens and clearly state what his views are on the subject. He can't go on like he's doing now, throwing difficult "meditation riddles" at the country that are hard for the people to understand and igniting rampant assumptions about various scenarios. Productive discussion will only become possible if Roh makes it clear what his ultimate goals are. Questions such as whether now is the time to commence on debate about revising the constitution and what kind of parliamentary system would be best for the country should be answered at a later phase and they should be decided by the people.
The Hankyoreh, 2 September 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Put An End to 'Coalition' Question |
