[Editorial] Cabinet Must Not Be Influenced by Election Politics

President Roh Moo Hyun's cabinet shuffle appears to have failed to impress the country. To begin with, it was largely a makeshift move instead of being the result of detailed diagnosis of what has been wrong with the cabinet so far. It is also unclear how cabinet ministers are to be assessed for their performance. It is unclear whether the Minister of Science and Technology was replaced because of responsibility to the Hwang Woo Suk affair, and no one knows why it is that some of the ministers who were expected to go have survived. It is also way out of touch with the sentiment of the people to have someone who spent time in prison for involvement in illegal presidential campaign donations be named minister because he lost in the recent National Assembly election. It also makes no sense that Roh chose to leave the position of Minister of Health and Welfare unfilled for the time being.

The generally accepted view is that May's regional elections will signal the start of the real political season. When the politicians rock the boat it amplifies social conflict, and so the cabinet needs to be able to keep from wavering in the face of political and social winds more so than at other times. Looking at the way things are going, however, it appears clear that the cabinet will be seriously affected by what happens politically. It is already established fact that there will be another cabinet shuffle as regional elections get closer, so that certain current cabinet members can run. The cabinet will remain unable to concentrate, and for more than a few reasons.

Cheong Wa Dae needs to seriously agonize about how to minimize the political currents. The biggest task before the Participatory Government will be making sure civil servants do not become uneasy and are able to stay true to their mission. It must not try to overcome immediate situations by making quick-fix changes in the cabinet whenever the momentary situation requires. The sooner the cabinet is made to stay unwavering in political currents and complete its mission in affairs of state the better.

The Hankyoreh, 3 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]