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"If the president does everything, his Cabinet will not take responsibility for it" (Lee Jong-chan, former director of the National Intelligence Service).
"Being busy doesn't always mean good. The president should have enough time to think of everything" (Prof. Park Chan-wook, Seoul National University).
"The president should say what he needs to say, and slow down a little." (Lee Man-sup, former National Assembly speaker)
"The president should abandon half of the corporate style he acquired when he was a corporate CEO ." (Prof. Lee Nam-young, Sejong University)
These are remarks by some 50 senior members of society and experts in various sectors when the Chosun Ilbo asked them to evaluate President Lee Myung-bak and the new government for the 100th day since his inauguration, which falls on June 3.
Most said the president should not try to do everything alone. Park Kwan-yong, another former speaker of the National Assembly, said, "The more you share power, the more power you will have. It's dangerous if the president tries to do everything alone." Prof. Hahm Sung-deuk of Korea University, said, Lee "should form a staff of top-notch professional experts and actively entrust duties to them."
Many warned the president against becoming enslaved to the memory of his own days as a corporate CEO. Prof. Lee Nam-young of Sejong University said, "Corporate CEOs are evaluated for their performance every quarter. The president has a five-year term. If you run a marathon as if you were running a short-distance race, you will feel leg pain very soon."
Prof. Hwang Tai-youn of Dongguk University said, "Everything is all right for a CEO if his business performs well. But a president must deal with the various kinds of demands of voters. He must persuade the people up until the last moment."
Many also urged Lee to replace some presidential secretaries, ministers and vice ministers whose qualifications are in question.
Former house speaker Park Kwan-yong and Prof. Yang Seung-tae of Ewha Womans University said, "The president should make a fresh start by quickly conducting personnel reform." Prof. Kim Min-jeon of Kyunghee University called for a "wholesale reshuffle."
Kim Kwang-woong, a former chairman of the Civil Service Commission, said Lee "should have put aside his old staff as soon as he was sworn in. Everything has gotten fouled up because he was not cold-hearted enough to do that. He should keep distance from close associates: basically, he has to abandon them."
Lee Jong-chan, a former director of the National Intelligence Service, said, "The president should not experiment with amateurs but form a staff of experienced experts."
Former prime minister Ro Jea-bong said if Lee can really govern only with a staff of close associates, then fine. "But if not, he has to bring all forces together and assign duties proportionately to all." Park Chan-wook of Seoul National University said, voters want Lee to embrace Park Geun-hye and Lee Hoi-chang of the traditional Right.
If Lee wants to resolve his communication problem, which he has admitted to, Prof. Ka Sang-joon of Dankook University said, he "should listen to criticism from his opponents." Prof. Kim Jong-ki of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said Lee "should create an atmosphere in which people can talk freely."
To overcome the current crisis, Ro and many others urged Lee to present a national policy blueprint. Prof. Kang Won-taek of Soongsil University said, "The president needs a roadmap to prioritize things while giving them due strategic and political consideration. It's arrogance to believe he can do everything at once."
Kim Jong-seok, president of the Korea Economic Research Institute, said, "He needs a vision and strategy for his entire five-year term. He should not be so sensitive to his short-term popularity ratings."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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