hankyoreh

Two years have passed since the unexpected suicide of President Roh Moo-hyun, who left a message behind asking that “only a very small tombstone be left for me.” His absence feels especially affecting May, when the green of nature is at its brightest. Each passing day finds the country in a worse position than the day before, making Roh’s dream of “a world where people live” more and more distant. His void left behind by his death is all the more palpable.
But we cannot simply succumb to this kind of anger and despondency. We cannot lower the flag he raised, no matter how solid and imposing the barriers of reality may seem. For the many people who loved him now face a task they cannot refuse, that of doing away with violations and privileges and creating a world where the citizen is master. And with one lapse after another by the current administration, voices of hope are making themselves heard more and more. Also more active are discussions in the political world over the issues of carrying on and developing Roh’s spirit, as embers of hope revive for a progressive, reformist administration that appeared utterly impossible in the past.
Each person may perceive and emphasize different aspects of the Roh spirit, but it certainly seems like it can be summed up as the observance of principles even under difficult circumstances and the courage to carry on without wavering when something is for the good of the country and society, even if it means taking a short-term loss. This is the element that politicians today can most stand to take as their role model: the simple honesty of a man whom some even called a fool when he was alive. The ones speaking of the Roh spirit today would do well to ponder whether each of them has truly carried through with this spirit.
Over the past two years, we have seen more division than unity from the opposition, more bickering than solidarity. In particular, the many voters who feel love for the former president have been stunned to see those professing to be the “pro-Roh” contingent scattering to different corners and expressing hostility toward one another. This may be a natural occurrence in the political sector, where politicians who work together at one moment will often splinter apart as time goes by.
It is also no great thing to have unity and solidarity that are merely mechanical. But it is worth a humble look back to examine whether their approach has not been characterized by “subtraction politics” emphasizing small differences rather than attempting to overcome them, a narrow-minded focus on immediate gains rather than banding together behind a larger common goal, or the shrewdness of talking about Roh’s risk-taking spirit while eyeing not the wilderness but the ground that is already fertile.
As we mark two years since Roh’s death, it is time for the opposition to leave this self-centered approach behind. The Roh spirit cannot and should not be the exclusive property of any one political group. The time has come to combine our strength so that the legacy he left behind takes root and grows as the common property of all progressive and democracy forces.
　　
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]