Prime Minister Koizumi turns blind eye to what the people need -- Akahata editorial, October 19The 155th extraordinary session of the Diet opened and Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro delivered a policy speech.
Apparently, the prime minister has shown complete indifference to workers who lost their jobs and elderly people who have difficulty paying increased medical insurance costs. Can't he see them and hear their woes? Such callousness is stunning and arouses anger in anyone who heard his speech. The Koizumi "reform" policy must not be allowed to continue.
Livelihood must come first
Over two months have passed since the regular Diet session closed in late July. The present session, an extraordinary session convened due to necessity, must be worthy of such functions.
The biggest pressing headache for the people is how to get over the serious economic recession and safeguard their living. Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in a general meeting of the JCP Dietmembers before the Diet opening said that the JCP will call on the government for a change of the economic policy, with the JCP 4-point proposal to defend the living as a guide.
What did Prime Minister Koizumi do? He convened the extraordinary Diet session to "deal with various tasks including financial systems." But what he called a "comprehensive economic package" has failed to come out in time for Diet discussions. The Prime minister's speech about speeding up write-offs of bad loans held by major banks and his plans to "reform" social services, agriculture and education only increase people's anxiety.
Are major banks and large corporations alone occupying Koizumi's mind? His reference to the unemployment issue and management of small- and medium-sized businesses is limited to their "safety net" role in the process of the disposal of bad loans.
People's anxiety about the economy is not simply because their incomes and sales declined and joblessness is increasing. It is because the government is adversely revising social insurance systems to the people's disadvantage and busting small and medium-sized businesses in the name of writing off bad loans.
For the prime minister to maintain these policies and preach "economic resuscitation" and "confidence and hope," the speech sounds hollow to the people. It is reckless driving sticking on the wrong route destined to fail.
The prime minister showed the same stance toward the question of peace, another major issue for the present Diet. He said that he conveyed to U.S. President Bush the importance of international cooperation when a possible U.S. military attack against Iraq has become a major issue in the international community.
The question is: For whose interests does the international cooperation serve? Is it for preventing or promoting war? The prime minister's policy speech, which failed to articulate his rejection to cooperate with a U.S. lawless war, shows that he is not answering the Japanese people's wish for peace.
Prime Minister Koizumi, however, stated that his cabinet wants to give priority to enacting the contingency bills which are aimed at cooperating with a U.S. war, as well as enacting the personal information 'protection' bill. This is very serious because both bills failed to pass through the previous Diet session.
The failure was caused by public opposition. Despite this, Koizumi still schemes to railroad these bills through the new Diet session. For a prime minister to avoid implementing what are actually needed and to do what should not be done is the biggest disservice to the public.
Gather public opposition to block adverse politics
Addressing JCP lawmakers, Shii stated that the JCP in the new Diet session will focus their arguments on the true value of the JCP being displayed amidst the tense situation so that it may help the people understand which party is worth leading Japan's politics in the 21st century.
Let's make further efforts to increase public opposition that will block the reckless politics of the Koizumi Cabinet. This will usher in a new political phase in Japan. (end)