The latest extraordinary Diet session has been difficult to watch. In fact, it's been miserable. Leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties have been caught up in trifles and have lost sight of the real issues. They've acted disgracefully.
Even after the results of the July 29 upper house elections showed the will of the people and presented a mandate for the politicians to manage Diet affairs, they are getting lost in trivial matters and pointless cul de sacs. Cool heads need to prevail.
The Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito hold a majority in the lower house, while the Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition partners hold a majority in the upper house. The mass media has taken to calling this the "twisted Diet," but the phrase isn't quite right. In fact, this is the new normal.
From now on, split majorities in the upper and lower house will be the natural state of the Diet, and lawmakers will have to work harder to win the trust of voters. A better name for this extraordinary Diet session would be "Diet 101," because lawmakers should be studying and learning about this new situation.
I'd like the leaders of the various political parties to think about the following: We are undergoing a decentralization of political parties.
First of all, the leaders in the lower and upper houses are on equal footing. Each house should look to its leaders for direction.
Moreover, the organizational structure of lawmakers in each house is being decentralized. In the end, each committee should select its leaders and allow them to set the agenda.
The rest of the party leadership should concentrate on internal issues and election strategies. The DPJ should use this time to learn from its recent mistakes.
First, management of the upper house should be entrusted to DPJ members who hold seats in that house. Lower house members should keep their noses out of upper house business in the future.
Second, the Diet should allow as much as possible each house to be controlled by the members in it.
Third, the Diet should be managed through discussions, not fights.
Fourth, ignore the mass media. Nothing good results when Diet scuffles are hyped and fueled by the media.
The debate over whether to refuel US warships in the Middle East is a side issue for Japan. Instead, the country should be focused on the economic situation and the livelihood of its people. Both the LDP and the DPJ have forgotten this.
The new anti-terrorist law should be scrapped. If Prime Minister Fukuda can't scrap it because of his relations with President Bush, then the issue should continue to be debated. Then, after a long while, the whole thing can be shelved. This can be done in the regular Diet session. The DPJ and the other opposition parties would do well to ease the contention and compromise a little. Take it slow.
We need the politicians to stand up and deal with the realities Japan faces. The government, the ruling parties and the opposition need to cool their heads and get back to work.