(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on Aug. 29)

Cabinet Reshuffle
Unity, Centrism, Pragmatism Ought to Be Main Criteria-

Most of the recent Korean presidents saw popular support soar early in their
tenure and plunge in the latter days. President Lee Myung-bak's popularity has
remained near the bottom in his first 18 months in office, raising hope for a
rebound in a reversal from his predecessors. And that increasingly appears not so
unthinkable, if the current upswing of approval rating is any indication.

One of the things that could turn the seemingly impossible scenario into reality
is personnel appointment, which is why the nation is paying keen attention to the
Cabinet reshuffle scheduled next week.
It would be unwise for voters to pin too much hope to it, however, considering
that personnel appointments are one of the areas President Lee has bungled most
terribly. By sticking to figures with regional, religious and school ties to the
chief executive, he often ended up selecting people with inadequate moral and
ethical credentials, even having to withdraw nominations at times and eating up
his own authority.
That must not happen again, of course. Equally dangerous, however, is the
mounting calls within political circles for doing exactly the opposite ???
picking up people mainly on the basis of regional and factional balance rather
than their merits and qualifications.
A case in point is whom to put on the prime minister's seat. In a country
adopting presidential government, like Korea, the position of prime minister
should be nominal at best, just playing the role of "bulletproof jacket" for the
President more often than not. That should be no reason, however, that the
President hailing from South Korea's eastern area must seek a candidate from only
western or central areas, disregarding other, far more important factors.
Instead, Lee is advised to pick from among people he knows very well, preferably
those who share the president's political philosophy but have quite different
ways of conducting state affairs, providing some checks and balances within the
administration. Most of all, the official standing first in line to succeed the
President in case of emergency, should be able to say ``no" to the chief
executive.
In filling other key portfolios, too, Lee should put the nominees' expertise as
top policymakers as well as spirit to serve the nation and people ahead of all
else, regardless of what regions they come from, which religious faiths they
practice and from what schools they graduated.
Also to be avoided in this regard is the nearly mandatory ``allocation of quota"
to governing-party lawmakers, including ones from the followers of former Grand
National Party leader Park Geun-hye, under the pretext of firming up
government-party teamwork and seeking cooperation from rival factions. Foremost
priority should be on talent, qualifications and service, not the balance of
political power.
It would be best if Lee extended his hand across ideological and political
borders to the opposition camp, or officials who worked under the previous
governments with proven excellence in state administration. By catching his
political opponents in this way, he could more easily seek their cooperation and
prevent their opposition for opposition's sake. French President Nicolas Sarkozy
recently provided an example of this, filling up some portfolios with figures
from the opposition centrist and Socialist parties.
Come to think of it, it is time for Lee, himself a son of poor parents, to be no
longer swayed by the conservative establishment and begin to persuade his support
base of rightist groups toward the direction of centrism and pragmatism.
The upcoming cabinet shakeup will be a litmus test of whether Lee is ready to
make this important shift, a prerequisite for his becoming the ``first successful
President" in recent memory.
(END)