Push ahead with changes now and tackle ill effects later
It is becoming increasingly hard to find people anywhere who speak well of their elected representatives, and Koreans are no exception. Lawmakers here have long become synonymous with inefficient, unproductive and perennially quarreling good-for-nothings; or so the media and interest groups have depicted them ― not entirely without reason.
So when the liberal opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) proposed to increase the number of lawmakers last month, it appeared to be either very brave (i.e. brazen) or foolish.
But broad electoral reform ― including issues ranging from the optimal number of legislators to redrawing constituencies and changing the share of lawmakers from direct voting and those from proportional representation ― is urgent to improve Korea's democracy.
The NPAD's proposal would increase the number of lawmakers from 300 ― 246 from direct voting and 54 from proportional representation ― to 369 (246 and 123), according to the National Election Commission, which wants the number of lawmakers from proportional representation to be at least half of directly elected ones.
The NEC proposal reflects the views of most political scientists, who say it would ease the "ruinous regionalism" and equally harmful "two-party" system that will not allow the entry of a third force.
If expanding the house is not possible anytime soon, the opposition party wants to increase the share of lawmakers who are not elected directly but represent various sectors in society, while freezing the total number of lawmakers at the present 300. And if even that is not easy, the NPAD has called for, with reason, electing the 54 lawmakers not on a national level but on a regional one to dilute regional antagonism and better reflect voters' intentions.
It is therefore regrettable that the conservative ruling party, which seems happiest with the status quo, opposes any reforms.
President Park Geun-hye's Saenuri Party notes that expanding the National Assembly runs counter to popular sentiment that the size should be reduced. The party says it would be unwise to tackle the time-consuming job of political reforms when the nation faces various problems, economic and diplomatic, at home and abroad.
Yet people's hatred of politics, and politicians, stems in large part from their frustration at them not being able to better reflect their views and interests in politics. And there have been no good times for political, or any other, reforms for this nation, whose land is divided and whose economy is fully exposed to external turmoil.
True, proportional representation has been tainted by backroom dealing and illegal donations. However, such ill effects are no reason to abandon reforms but to speed them up. The number of lawmakers per population here is higher than in the U.S. and Japan but far lower than in many European countries, including Germany, which could well be a benchmark.
Provided the candidate selection is transparent and the cost of maintaining the Assembly stays the same, as the NPAD contends, the opposition party's proposal is worthy of consideration ― and implementation. What hinders possible routes to democratic development is the conservative camp's adherence to vested interests.
It is becoming increasingly hard to find people anywhere who speak well of their elected representatives, and Koreans are no exception. Lawmakers here have long become synonymous with inefficient, unproductive and perennially quarreling good-for-nothings; or so the media and interest groups have depicted them ― not entirely without reason.
So when the liberal opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) proposed to increase the number of lawmakers last month, it appeared to be either very brave (i.e. brazen) or foolish.
But broad electoral reform ― including issues ranging from the optimal number of legislators to redrawing constituencies and changing the share of lawmakers from direct voting and those from proportional representation ― is urgent to improve Korea's democracy.
The NPAD's proposal would increase the number of lawmakers from 300 ― 246 from direct voting and 54 from proportional representation ― to 369 (246 and 123), according to the National Election Commission, which wants the number of lawmakers from proportional representation to be at least half of directly elected ones.
The NEC proposal reflects the views of most political scientists, who say it would ease the "ruinous regionalism" and equally harmful "two-party" system that will not allow the entry of a third force.
If expanding the house is not possible anytime soon, the opposition party wants to increase the share of lawmakers who are not elected directly but represent various sectors in society, while freezing the total number of lawmakers at the present 300. And if even that is not easy, the NPAD has called for, with reason, electing the 54 lawmakers not on a national level but on a regional one to dilute regional antagonism and better reflect voters' intentions.
It is therefore regrettable that the conservative ruling party, which seems happiest with the status quo, opposes any reforms.
President Park Geun-hye's Saenuri Party notes that expanding the National Assembly runs counter to popular sentiment that the size should be reduced. The party says it would be unwise to tackle the time-consuming job of political reforms when the nation faces various problems, economic and diplomatic, at home and abroad.
Yet people's hatred of politics, and politicians, stems in large part from their frustration at them not being able to better reflect their views and interests in politics. And there have been no good times for political, or any other, reforms for this nation, whose land is divided and whose economy is fully exposed to external turmoil.
True, proportional representation has been tainted by backroom dealing and illegal donations. However, such ill effects are no reason to abandon reforms but to speed them up. The number of lawmakers per population here is higher than in the U.S. and Japan but far lower than in many European countries, including Germany, which could well be a benchmark.
Provided the candidate selection is transparent and the cost of maintaining the Assembly stays the same, as the NPAD contends, the opposition party's proposal is worthy of consideration ― and implementation. What hinders possible routes to democratic development is the conservative camp's adherence to vested interests.
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