Does the president only eval‍uate and critique the pension reform deal?

President Park Geun-hye said on the bipartisan agreement on the reform of civil servants’ pensions, “It is meaningful that both ruling and opposition parties met the deadline but it was short of the public’s expectations.” As for raising the nominal income replacement rate to 50 percent in national pension, the president said like a “homeroom teacher rating her students,” “It is a matter that needs the people’s agreement first because it would increase their burden significantly.”

The reform of civil servants’ pension scheme is a matter that has an enormous impact on the national economy, and the country’s future and future generations. Some say that it is the tail wagging the dog because both ruling and opposition parties hastily agreed to increase national pension premiums twofold while releasing a reform bill on civil servants’ pension scheme that would a minimal impact on reducing debts. Although it will take two decades to implement the reform, the deal failed to reach the original goal of integrating the civil servants’ pensions and the national pension fund. The people are frustrated to see the president who simply evaluates and critiques the deal as if it is none of her business.

After a week-long break from her tour to Latin America due to health issues, President Park presided over a meeting with her senior secretaries on Monday. While President Park was in bed, Cho Yoon-sun, the presidential senior secretary for political affairs, delivered the president’s message that it should make a large financial reduction in several meetings with the leadership of the ruling Saenuri Party to no avail. President Park should have met the party’s leadership before heading for the tour or made a call while she was abroad. Or she should have made it clear to the people that there is a principle and direction that cannot be compromised. Without making such efforts, it is not right to belatedly criticize the deal struck by the ruling party’s leadership which was obsessed with the deadline set by the president and the opposition party.

President Park said on Monday, “Politicians represent the people, and politicians who go against the people’s hopes seek politics for the sake of their personal success and interests. This can be interpreted that both ruling and opposition party leaders agreed on a fake reform bill for their presidential race. In fact, politicians are really good at working for civic groups and seeking populist policies for their next election.

After Kim Moo-sung, the ruling party’s leader, and Yoo Seung-min, the party’s floor leader, both of whom are the members of the non-Park Geun-hye faction, dominated the party’s leadership and Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Byung-ki appeared on the “memo left by Sung Wan-jong,” the ruling party ignores the presidential office and takes the lead in negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties. Even the ruling party complains that the presidential office is not serious about having discussions with the party. President Park should rather create a social consensus by persuading both ruling and opposition party lawmakers and civil servants on behalf of the people. It is worrisome that how the president would deal with the public who would turn away from the president in the wake of the unsatisfactory reform on civil servants’ pension program.