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The End is the Beginning is the End

© Jason Gottlieb

Elections often mark the beginning of the end for the current regime. Sometimes, as in the United States, these transitions are rather smooth, even across parties. But three nations are being stricken with paralysis this week thanks to the transfer of powers brought about by their elections. Korea has just inaugurated its new president, the first democratically elected president from an opposition party. In Indonesia, Suharto is gearing up for his re-election to a seventh term in the presidency over growing unrest and rioting. And in Cambodia, Hun Sen seeks to put an official stamp of international approval on last year's bloody coup d'etat by holding elections which look to be anything but free. These three nations, being rocked by beginnings and ends, underline the fact that most of East Asia still has only a tenuous hold on democracy.

Kim Dae Jung (known as DJ to friends, as well as analysts struggling to distinguish him from the many other Kims of the Korean political world) was inaugurated into South Korea's highest office on February 25, bringing an end to the beginning of South Korea's move toward democracy. His opposition in Parliament wasted no time making him feel officially welcome, the way all good opposition parties should: starting a shoving match. The squabble was over DJ's candidate for Prime Minister, Kim Jong Pil of the United Liberal Democrats party, who is having difficulty obtaining the majority vote needed for confirmation because of obstructionist tactics by the majority Grand National Party. Memories of Kim Jong Pil's role in the bloody military coup of 1961 and his subsequent creation of the Korean Secret Service have led the GNP to announce that Kim is "not an appropriate candidate." DJ, who came to power on a platform of delivering Korea's badly needed reform, hasn't even been able to clear the first hurdle: appointing his cabinet.

To be sure, DJ has brought about significant reform even before taking office. He took steps to open up financial markets, and he has convinced Korea's powerful trade unions to accept laws allowing the firing of workers. But the Mar. 3 debate about his nominee for Prime Minister ended on in a shoving and shouting match on the floor of the National Assembly. And as the February. 28 issue of the Economist reports, he is having trouble with his other plans as well. His idea for a budget oversight committee was shot down. His attempts to initiate talks with North Korea, designed to improve relations, have also been widely criticized as being "soft."