Regional antagonism: We are the solution

By Dang Dae-jeung

SEOUL: While my brother and I were watching the news on television here recently he said, "Are they fighting again in the National Assembly? I'm fed up with them! I'd really like to expel them from the country. I was taught that the basics of politics are dialogue, negotiation and compromise."

I replied: "Who selected them?" "We did!" "Don't hate them -- because we chose them!" "Why did you elect such lousy members of parliament?" And then, he replied. "They are our regional representatives."

This conversation illustrated two things. Even if we want our politics and politicians to change, we seem to persist in choosing our regional candidates as members of the National Assembly regardless of whether they are suitable candidates.

Almost no one believes politicians any longer. But no matter how dark Korean politics might be, we should maintain a keen interest and remain vigilant.

As we well know, despite the loud complaints and fears from the political circles, and the almost unanimous disapproval from both the ruling and opposition camps, the "defeat campaigns" launched by civic groups against "the unqualified politicians" have been gaining considerable momentum, with overwhelming support from the public. The civic organizations defeated 70 percent of the "corrupt and incompetent politicians." In particular, the groups achieved the epoch-making results by winning more than 90 percent of the vote in Seoul.

Nevertheless, a few days ago, the Supreme Court declared that "the defeat campaigns" of the civic group during the National Assembly election last year were illegal. Although I don't know about the current election law, it seemed to me that the law was interpreted in a very narrow way.

However, the current election law must be and will be revised so that the people can participate in politics -- because I believe in the spirit of the Constitution, "The sovereignty of the republic shall reside in the people and all state authority shall emanate from the people." I expect that the Constitutional Court will reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court. It will revise the current election law.

I watched the recent U.S presidential election, from beginning to end. What struck me, was that the two presidential candidates tried to find a legal settlement. One other thing I realized was that there were no riots in the United States, despite the social and political controversy.

Moreover, I was deeply impressed that the former Vice President Al Gore officially and in a gentlemanly fashion, accepted his defeat. I really realized that America was a society that respects political candidates who lose in a gentlemanly way rather than those who win by using dirty tactics. Our politicians ought to take lessons from the American election culture.

I often observe that the opposition Grand National Party holds gatherings in the southeast. It seems to me that the party is stirring up more serious regional factionalism through such gatherings. Moreover, it is a stratagem to make their political standing secure in the southeast.

As we know well, in the last 16th National Assembly election, the GNP walked off with 64 of the total of 65 seats in the southeast. The ruling Millennium Democratic Party also got 25 out of 29 in the southwest.

I know that regional sentiment has been a main factor in determining the outcomes of various elections in Korea -- presidential, parliamentary and even local polls -- and local or regional rivalry exists to some extent in almost all countries. But the results of the last general election were unique.

Thus, I think that the problem is not with the politicians. The most fundamental problem rests with the people and the electors of the two regions. What I couldn't understand was that the young generations of the two regions tended to have deeper prejudices and animosity toward each other's regions, compared with their elders.

Because of such regional antagonism, the vested interests of the 1970s and 1980s are still enjoying their authority with each changed political form. Many of the incumbent lawmakers and politicians represent the vested interests of the citizens of the two regions, from the 1960s through to the late 1990s.

In spite of the "defeat campaigns" waged by civic groups in the 16th National Assembly election last year, many of them were re-elected by the voters of the regions in an environment of collective sentiment. There is no doubt that they will be re- elected in the next general election.

As long as regional antagonism is not eliminated, we cannot expect reform in the political community. It is only the voters themselves who can cure the national chronic disease of regional factionalism.

The government and civic groups need to analyze these problems systemically and scientifically.

The writer is a translator living in Kyonggi Province.

-- The Korea Herald/Asia News Network