Dear editor,
In the months before the election of Lee Myung-bak, a number of surveys were done and reported on extensively in the media. The message went out that the economy came before morality.
Surveys suggested that though more than half of all citizens believed that the then would-be president had some hand in a stock manipulation case, they thought his business credentials were more important, as indeed evidenced by they way they voted.
Whether he was guilty or not did not matter, they seemed to be saying; business and the economy were more important.
Along with many others I felt this was a serious error and would be paid for in the future. If people really believed that the President wasn't being honest (as they answered in surveys) how could they believe that he was fit to run the country?
How could such a person be taken seriously when he spoke about cleaning up corruption and encouraging more transparency in government? Why indeed would government officials and public servants with a bent toward corruption take him seriously if they believed that people didn't really seem to care that much about corruption ― instead chanting the mantra ``economy first, economy first, economy first'' ad nauseam; whatever that was supposed to mean.
The first question mark as to the seriousness of the President tackling corruption was the sweeping pardon of large numbers of businessmen who had been found guilty of all manner of fraud and bribery.
It certainly didn't send out a strong message of intent to crack down on such activities but rather looked like an act of cowardice. This message went out far and wide, reaching the ears of foreign investors too and seemed to indicate business as usual, shocking to people who valued morality.
With all sorts of cases of corruption and wrongdoing coming to the fore ― the most recent being the rice subsidy payments and benefits for meritorious service ― I fear the chickens are coming home to roost and indeed the price will have to be paid.
If it is clear that the government is not taking corruption and wrongdoing seriously then appropriate action needs to be taken since the government is supposed to be for the people ― and is financed by them. An immoral system cannot last for very long and the longer it lasts the worse the effects. Put morality first or the economy will suffer horribly.
David Watermeyer
Seoul