It is even more depressing if you look at the National Assembly. For the second week now it is going nowhere as the ruling and main opposition parties confront each other over the decision to go ahead and vote on revising the Private School Law. Instead of mediating social dispute and bringing it into a parliamentary format, politics is taking advantage of social conflict and taking to the streets. You hear bleak talks such as "we won't compromise now that we've unsheathed our knives" or "if that's the way they're going to be let's move ahead without the Grand National Party." The sad reality is that there is no political process.
The primary responsibility for the situation having come to this lies with Uri Party. It is so full of itself for finally not being on the defensive that it seems to have forgotten what its duties are as the ruling party. However, much of the responsibility inevitably lies with the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP). The Private School Law may be important to the GNP but it is not the work at hand. The process of reviewing next year's budget is seriously behind schedule. Furthermore the GNP has plenty of issues it needs to be delving into regarding government failures and it needs to be suggesting alternatives. It has done what it should as an opposition party for the street protests it has done so far; now it is time to leave the Private School Law to the concerned organizations and return to the National Assembly.
There needs to be a restoration of the political process. The country deserves at least that much decency. If the politicians cannot ease the people in their sorrow, they at least should keep from upsetting them further.
The Hankyoreh, 21 December 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
