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With
the presidential election scheduled for December, the ruling
Millenium Democratic Party (MDP) and the main opposition Grand
National Party (GNP) seem to be heading in very different directions.
Despite a series of corruption scandals, the MDP is in high
spirits thanks to the success of its ongoing presidential primaries
while the GNP is on shaky legs due to its intraparty feud.
MDP's adoption of the primary election system is favorable among
Koreans as a kind of political reform. Moreover, the recent
Roh Moo-hyun phenomenon has turned this race around into a great
popular contest following his strong performance in the Kwangju
primary. Rhee In-je, currently the frontrunner, still maintains
his overall lead over Roh Moo-hyun, a human rights-turned-presidential
hopeful, but the Roh "wind" is heating the public
so hard that Rhee cannot stay complacent.
Meanwhile, the GNP still has not recovered peace from the internal
feud sparked by Rep. Park Geun-hye's defection on February 28.
Lee's intraparty opponents have demanded for major party reform,
urging the introduction of a full-fledged collective leadership
and eradication of vassal politics. On March 26, GNP president
Lee Hoi-chang decided to resign and to introduce a collective
ruling system. However, Lee's image has already been damaged
because of his "luxury villa" episode.
Also, public distrust of politics has been growing because of
a series of corruption scandals related to the Kim Dae-jung
administration. The opposition GNP mounted its efforts to attack
the ruling camp on this ground instead of reflecting upon its
own past conduct. Moreover its leader Lee Hoi-chang's luxury
mansion expose disappointed the public once again.
While Lee Hoi-chang was entangled with his inner circle members,
Roh Moo-hyun has galloped ahead threatening Lee's bid for the
presidential election. Opinion polls conducted by the major
broadcasters show that so far Roh has surged ahead of Lee Hoi-chang,
who has long been the favorite. The Lee camp had thought of
Rhee In-je as their competitor in the upcoming poll but now
it must change its tactics to beat Roh Moo-hyun.
At issue is the ideological difference between Lee Hoi-chang
and Roh Moo-hyun and the social class they represent. While
Roh is perceived as a reformist and the common people's friend,
Lee is seen as the opposite of Roh. Lee's self-righteous leadership
was revealed due to the recent internal feud and his "luxury
villa" revelation struck the common people as incongruous.
The "commoner versus aristocrat" dichotomy between
Roh and Lee could thus drive Lee into a disadvantageous position.
At a press meeting held in Cheonbuk on March 21, Lee said about
the "luxury villa" fuss, "I do not have an aristocratic
taste and I do not belong to the aristocratic class. I would
like to appeal to the people whether I am worthy to be in the
aristocratic position." His remark may not restore public
approval, however.
There is no telling, however, if Roh Moo-hyun carry his momentum
until to the presidential election. GNP vice president who hails
from the Youngnam district is sure that Lee camp could drive
the battle to an ideological confrontation between the conservative
and the progressive camp if Roh gets his party nomination.
If such a two-way comes to pass, the common people's choice
will play a key role in the upcoming election. The common people
recognized as the opposite concept to the vested interest group
make up the majority in our society. But their political influence
has dwindled away due to their political apathy caused by their
mistrust of politics. Therefore the gap between common people
and vested interests has been increasing, hindering our growth
as a democratic society. Now it is time to break up the vicious
circle and to demonstrate the power of the ordinary citizens.
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