quote:
In times of political hardship, which occur often these days for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, the embattled politician takes inspiration from the boy from Baie-Comeau. ... Like the former Canadian prime minister, Mr. Roh is pushing for a new goods and services tax in his own country, despite opposition from most residents and his political rivals.
Mr. Roh praised Mr. Mulroney as the man who saved Canada with the GST. According to JoongAng Daily, Mr. Roh paid tribute to Mr. Mulroney during a meeting with government officials after his party won only one of 16 races for mayoral and governor seats.
The article, featuring a prominent photo of Mr. Mulroney, is followed a few pages later by a scathing editorial with the former Canadian prime minister as a cartoon character.
"Mr. Roh seems to think of Mr. Mulroney whenever he meets a crisis," Lee Chul-ho wrote. "Why does the President choose wicked people as role models?" ...
It isn't the first time Mr. Roh has invoked the Mulroney name. According to media reports, Mr. Roh argued at a press luncheon last January that Canada "turned in the black after 1997, following Mr. Mulroney's decision. Had it not been for his determination, Canada would have almost collapsed."
Jongryn Mo, who teaches political science at Yonsei University's Underwood International College, said the Korean President has never met Mr. Mulroney, but has hitched his new tax platform to the Progressive Conservatives.
"Roh Moo-hyun has never travelled outside of Korea. He rarely travels so he takes his ideals from things he's read and he has decided that Brian Mulroney is going to be his role model," Prof. Mo said. "The President wants to be remembered as a political reformer and that's going to be his legacy." ...
The President's approval rating has dropped to an all-time low of 20 per cent; more than 80 per cent of those surveyed in a recent poll blamed Mr. Roh directly for the Uri party's May 31 defeat in local elections. He was elected in 2003 as a left-of-centre unknown and has two years left in his term.
With an economy in the doldrums, Mr. Roh pushed for the new tax to gain a bigger revenue base but is facing resistance in a country where most people buy with cash.
Anne Ladouceur, a television commentator on Korean politics and a Canadian, said it's not surprising that Mr. Roh's role model is Brian Mulroney.
"He's looking at a situation and trying to find a parallel in the West with what he's facing at home," Ms. Ladouceur said. "Mulroney introduced the GST, which is what Roh is trying to introduce to great reluctance from the public. He's trying to show that Canada survived the GST even if Mulroney didn't."
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posted 09 June 2006 01:06 PM
