Ferry disaster and 'mea culpa'
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By Sah Dong-seok
More than five months after the tragic sinking of the ferry Sewol, the entire nation remains mired in its worst peacetime disaster. Bereaved family members of the victims ― most of them high school students ― continue their sit-in protests in the heart of Seoul, demanding the enactment of a special law that would empower a fact-finding committee with the authority to investigate and indict suspects.
After twists and turns over bungled negotiations with the ruling party and internal schisms over the recruiting of outsiders as interim leaders, the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) seems to be getting back on track.
As the partisan wrangling over the special law has been protracted for months, the ambience of national soul-searching that gripped our society soon after the tragic incident has given way to an endless blame game. In this process, the National Assembly has been in paralysis, leaving numerous pressing bills related to the public’s welfare but unrelated to the maritime catastrophe stranded.
In retrospect now, the government has no excuse for the calamity ― from A to Z. The introduction of a decrepit vessel from Japan riding on the wave of deregulation by the previous government; the failure to prevent freight overloading; the initial confusion and botched rescue operations; and the shocking result ― not a single person trapped inside the ferry was saved. All this disclosed how incompetent our bureaucrats are and how structural and deep-rooted the collusion between government officials and industry is. So it’s no wonder President Park Geun-hye, the head of the executive branch, should ultimately be held accountable for all the fiascos.
But it’s paradoxical that the overblown politicization of the Sewol tragedy by some progressive civic groups as well as the opposition party has resulted in facts behind the unprecedented maritime disaster being hidden. Given that the largest opposition party can’t confidently say it is not in the least responsible for the tragedy, it’s certainly self-contradictory that the NPAD has unilaterally lashed out at President Park.
It would also be wrong if the liberal party is to take advantage of the sad incident politically in the 2016 parliamentary elections and the presidential election the following year. If the past is any guide, the election victory has gone to a political party that offers vision and hope for the future rather than one obsessed with the past. Everyone knows that Park was able to win the 2012 presidential poll by prioritizing welfare issues, whether or not her promises have been carried out properly since her inauguration.
As it stands, the Sewol deadlock won’t be broken as long as the ruling and opposition parties stand by their guns and the victims’ families stick to the investigation and indictment rights under all circumstances. But would it be possible to squeeze the ruling camp out of something only if the fact-finding committee is empowered?
This is no time for us to trade accusations against each other without regard to the people’s bread-and-butter issues. Rather, it’s time to stop blaming others and recite ``mea culpa.’’
True, none is free from culpability in the ferry sinking. Needless to say, the heaviest onus lies with the President, her administration and the governing party. But no less culpable is the NPAD, given the norm that the ruling and opposition parties must share responsibility for state affairs. In this context, the main opposition party is wrong to boycott the National Assembly by linking the passage of the Sewol law to other pending bills, including next year’s budget. NPAD lawmakers need to keep in mind that even the majority of the people who support the Sewol law are against this strategy.
Fortunately, the rival parties seem intent to restart talks to discuss the terms of the special law after Rep. Moon Hee-sang took the helm of the NPAD as an interim leader. But the outlook for negotiations is still murky, given the bereaved families’ obsession with the investigation and indictment authority.
Regardless of the controversy over its unconstitutionality, it’s past time for them to halt street rallies and get back to normal, and leave the mission of enacting the law to politicians. This is because the ferry sinking is by no means an issue that can be resolved by force. They need to know that many people have strong doubts about their intentions.
Last week’s assault case involving five family members of the Sewol victims and a driver-for-hire is an unfortunate event that can happen at any time, but the incident is a reminder that the families are going astray amid the protracted partisan standoff. Now it’s time for them to seek an orderly exit.
The writer is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times. Contact him at sahds@ktimes.co.kr.