[Editorial] All Eyes on National Assembly

The floor leaders of the ruling Uri and main opposition Grand National (GNP) parties have agreed to get the National Assembly back to normal operations. That means it will be open for business for the first time in 53 days, which is how long the GNP has been boycotting parliamentary activities and protesting in the streets. The two new floor leaders demonstrated that they know how to respond to the expectations of voters who were tired of seeing the politicians engaged in wasteful bickering.

The street protests begun by the GNP in response to the way the ruling party forced a vote on the Private School Law last December 9 always lacked much justification, and they were a "lonely struggle" for lacking public support. It was irresponsible behavior for the biggest opposition party, which as such is responsible for a certain degree of affairs of state. The GNP takes every opportunity to declare that the government and ruling party "lack the capacity to handle state affairs," but it is the GNP's boycott of the National Assembly that was the same old irresponsibility. One hopes to see it act like reliable opposition party by tackling the many bills and issues waiting for attention and by doing so in good faith.

The floor leaders are to be complimented for agreeing to normalize Assembly operations, but it is of concern that they agreed to discuss re-amending the Private School Law. Maybe the GNP needed that to justify its decision to return, but the new law must not be reversed. Civic and social groups called for the recent revision for years, and all the while the GNP never produced much in the way of some good faith alternative proposals. Ten months after the revision bill was submitted to the Assembly last August, it then came up with a separate bill authored by a mere 15 legislators and said it wanted to start the discussion all over again. The GNP depended on the same outdated red-baiting to back up its argument, even after amendment was approved. Even the law in its new form is criticized for not being enough for private school reform, and so if someone attempts to reverse the progress in such a situation that will only make it too much to expect a normalization of private school education.

The ruling and opposition parties need to stop the wasteful debate over the Private School Law and spend all their energy on dealing with legislation relating to the public welfare and reform. That is how they need to answer to the mission voters entrusted them with.

The Hankyoreh, 31 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]