Ex-lawmaker hints 'how to use lawmakers'
Jung Chung-rae who represented the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea
By Baek Byung-yeul
It has been about seven decades since parliamentary democracy was introduced in Korea, but many Koreans are known to hold little trust for lawmakers as they have witnessed a slew of politician-involved corruption scandals.
A recent survey conducted by a local research institute about evaluating the credibility of major organizations of society makes this clear. According to Hyundai Research Institute’s October survey of 1,009 people, the politicians of the country received the lowest credibility rating of 28 points, which was 12 points lower than a person you meet for the first time. By contrast, respondents gave the largest percentage to the politicians on the question that asked which major organizations of the society have the strongest authority.
Last April, 24 million people exercised their right to vote for representatives of the 20th National Assembly and as a result 300 lawmakers were elected. And former lawmaker Jung Chung-rae who represented the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) emphasized the rampant distrust toward politicians can be overcome only through more active political participation of voters.
In his new book “How to use a lawmaker,” the 51-year-old introduces specific ways about how to handle lawmakers from the point of view of a civilian. He also spends time explaining why more and more people distrust politicians but why people need to consider them important nevertheless. This is his first book since the 51-year-old known for his critical rhetoric of the conservatives was barred from running for the April 13 general elections. He represented Seoul’s Mapo-B district in the 17th and 19th Assembly.
Comprised of three parts ― “How to differentiate a lawmaker,” “How to use a lawmaker” and “How to become a lawmaker” ― Jung gives tips about how to make the lawmakers work more for the people.
Cover of former lawmaker Jung Chung-rae’s “How to Use Lawmakers”
For the quick-tempered, Jung gives a detailed demonstration of how to distinguish the good lawmaker from the bad one in the first part of the book so that readers can understand what kind of jobs the lawmakers do and how good they are in their role.
Stating that the top priority of lawmakers is in making and fixing laws, the best way to find a “good lawmaker” is to find out how many bills he or she has proposed and how many of them have been passed. Suggesting examples of good and bad lawmakers, Jung also emphasizes that voters should make the effort to seek good ones and criticize the bad ones.
In the second part, Jung describes the job of lawmakers and what voters should do to become skillful at handling them.
Jung writes that the role of lawmakers are so important ― what kinds of laws they propose, how they collect taxes and how they execute the government budget ― would determine the lives of 50 million Korean.
Explaining how to handle lawmakers, Jung writes that communicating via social media sites is the best way to support or oppose them. Staging a one-man protest would be critical to deliver a strong message to lawmakers as well. For choosing the most effective protest spot, he recommends that voters have a demonstration in front of the entrance of the National Assembly or in front of the lawmaker’s district office.
For those who consider becoming a candidate contesting for a National Assembly spot, Jung’s advice is to build stamina and have great passion first as you would probably have attend at least 20 scheduled events a day.