(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on Dec. 22)

Shame on lawmakers: Dialog, compromise key to parliamentary democracy

It is a shame that lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties were again in a
violent confrontation at the National Assembly.

A parliamentary scuffle took
place Thursday when legislators of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) used
a sledgehammer, crowbars and chisels to knock down the doors of a blocked room
where a committee was discussing a Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.
In order to block the DP members, officials of the governing Grand National Party
(GNP) spayed fire extinguishers at the intruders. This violent clash lasted about
four hours, causing property damage worth 19.87 million won and wounding several
people, including an Assembly security guard. The scene was as if a violent
demonstration had erupted in a Seoul street. Such violence should not have
occurred in the parliamentary building.
Many people could not believe that the lawmakers turned into mobs that not only
violated the law but also ignored the basic principles of parliamentary
democracy. Such violent clashes at the National Assembly are common in South
Korea. But this time, people were all the more indignant with the lawbreaking
legislators, who don't know how to hold a dialog and compromise with each other.
How can they persuade people to accept their decision-making and legislation
process?
At the center of the confrontation is the contentious free trade deal, which was
signed by Seoul and Washington in June last year. The GNP wants to railroad the
FTA through the Assembly by the end of this year to rule out any possibility of
renegotiations and pressure the U.S. Congress to ratify it without further delay.
But the DP and other opposition parties are against immediate ratification to
take more time and observe the changes in the U.S. Congress, as President-elect
and Democrat Barack Obama, who is critical of the FTA, is to take office next
month.
It is natural that members of the ruling and opposition parties have different
views and policy lines on the FTA and other pending issues. But the differences
can never justify violence at the Assembly building. Before putting a motion or a
bill to a vote, legislators ought to allow the due process of discussing it and
reflecting on different views of opposing parties. It goes without saying that
all legislation activities should be based on the democratic process.
The public has harbored deepening political indifference and shown an abhorrence
to political hacks, including lawmakers and other elected posts.
Corruption-tainted party politics and political skullduggery have led to a loss
of public trust and confidence. Repeated violence at the National Assembly and
habitual corruption scandals involving lawmakers are the enemies of democracy.
South Korea is the world's 13th largest economy, but it is far behind many
developing countries in terms of politics and democracy.
Now, it is time for lawmakers and politicians to learn how to hold dialog and
compromise to break their bad, ``time-honored'' habit of Assembly violence. The
ruling party should not resort to unilateralism with its majority seats.
Opposition parties are also required to raise their voices through rational and
peaceful means. People don't want to continue to hear that there are only
political brawls in the absence of politics in South Korea. How difficult it is
to become a mature democracy.
(END)