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President Roh Moo-hyun has opened his mouth again, this time taking aim at lawmakers planning to leave the Uri Party. Among them, he referred to presidential hopefuls Chung Dong-young and Kim Geun-tae as ¡°those men,¡± barely restraining his emotions. He posted a statement on the Cheong Wa Dae website and did not sign it as ¡°President Roh Moo-hyun¡± but as ¡°politician Roh Moo-hyun.¡± What is he going to do at the end of his term, fixated as he is on the elections? In the end, it seems his withdrawal from Uri was just a show.
But there are some comments the president made that are worth looking at. Referring to the lawmakers who abandoned the Uri Party, the president said, ¡°The inveterate disease of old-style politics, which divided one region against another and promoted collusive ties, has returned.¡± He added, ¡°You are virtually taking the entire Uri Party and surrendering to regionalism.¡±
The president is one to talk. During the last presidential election, Roh¡¯s camp pitched the idea of a candidate representing the Gyeongsang provinces, seeking to capitalize on regional strongholds. And his push to move the nation¡¯s administrative capital to the Chungcheong region is also a move to garner support from that area. Even he said he ¡°benefited¡± from that move. In November last year, he visited the home of former president Kim Dae-jung. Many view that visit as being politically motivated, targeting the support of the Jeolla region.
But with the upcoming presidential elections approaching, someone needs to sound the alarm regarding the resurgence of regionalism. The Uri faction seeks to do only one thing: try once again to rally the support of the Jeolla region. Originally, they tried to use former Seoul National University President Chung Un-chan as the front man and create a Jeolla-Chungcheong alliance, but failed. Then, some members of the Uri faction even began contacting a banker with no political affiliations, simply because the official hails from the Chungcheong region. They first want to join hands with the Democratic Party in order to solidify support of the Jeolla region, then cut a deal with the People First Party which has the support of the Chungcheong region.
The Grand National Party is no different. It plans to maintain its support in the Gyeongsang region and gain the support of other regions in order to secure victory in the presidential elections. This is the main reason why the GNP kept silent when a son of former president Kim, who was jailed on corruption charges, ran for office during the April 25 by-elections.
It would be a great loss for voters if all that the political parties have to offer them in the presidential election on Dec. 19 is outdated songs pitching hometown affiliations.
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