退陣３条件―自民党よ大人になって

ビルマのスーチーさん、７月６日に民主党外務政務次官と会談予定。
スーチーさんは多分わらにもすがる思いだったのだろう。喜んでいた。
スーチーさんによると６月２８日にはビルマ入りしているので一週間以上ビルマに滞在することになる。
分刻みの行動予定のオバマ大統領と、あまりにもかけ離れているので愕然とした。
先日、菊田真紀子氏は週刊誌で叩かれたばかりだ。
反省の色もない。今頃ラングーンで観光三昧か。
（スラチャイ）

2011/06/30
--The Asahi Shimbun, June 29
EDITORIAL: Time for the LDP to grow up and get the Diet moving
退陣３条件―自民党よ大人になって

Nearly one month after announcing his intention to resign "in due time," Prime Minister Naoto Kan on June 28 finally spelled out the conditions for his resignation--the enactment of a second supplementary budget, a bill on issuing special government bonds, and legislation concerning renewable energy.
　菅直人首相が「一定のめど」を口にしてから１カ月近く、やっと中身を明言した。
　第２次補正予算、特例公債法、再生可能エネルギー特別措置法の成立だという。

There were no surprises here, and we assumed the political confusion of recent days would finally come to an end and things would start moving.
　はっきりしてしまえば驚く内容ではない。やれやれ、これでようやく政治の混乱が収まり、前へ動きだす。

But we were wrong. The Diet remains stalled, with no prospects of these three bills becoming law.
　と、思いきや、国会は空転している。退陣３条件が整うめどが立たない。

One reason for this situation is that the opposition Liberal Democratic Party is up in arms over the Democratic Party of Japan's ploy to win over individual opposition lawmakers, one by one, by appointing Kazuyuki Hamada, an LDP member of the Upper House, as parliamentary secretary for internal affairs and communications.
　自民党が、復興関連人事で参院議員を総務政務官に一本釣りされたことに態度を硬化させているのが一因だ。

An irate LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki stated, "This is tantamount to a declaration (by the DPJ's) that it wants no cooperation whatsoever from the LDP."
　谷垣禎一総裁は「自民党の協力は一切いらないという意思表示だ」と、かんかんだ。

Party Secretary-General Nobuteru Ishihara denounced the DPJ move just as vehemently. "All I can say is that the ruling party is completely untrustworthy," he said.
石原伸晃幹事長も「信用できないの一言に尽きる。

"There is no relationship of mutual trust to render any meaningful discourse possible."
議論を進める信頼関係がない」と切り捨てる。

Anger is boiling over within the LDP, with members decrying the ruling party's "foul play" and "declaration of war (on the LDP)."
　「これは禁じ手だ」「わが党に対する挑戦だ」など、党内の怒りも収まらない。

The LDP's ire is quite understandable. For all his calls for cooperation from the LDP, Kan has effectively hit the LDP where it hurts.
協調関係を求めておきながら、懐に手を突っ込んできた首相への批判が渦巻くのは当然のことだ。

But we wish the LDP would grow up.
　だが、ここは自民党にもっと大人になってほしい。

The people are disgusted with their prime minister, but they are also bitterly disappointed with the Diet that has lately done nothing but attack Kan.
　国民は、菅首相にあきれるとともに、首相を批判するだけで止まったままの国会に失望しているのだ。

All three bills cited by Kan are perfectly reasonable.
　３条件は、どれも当たり前の内容だ。

Actually, the fact that the prime minister has to step down in exchange for their legislation is an anomaly in itself.
それを進めるために首相が進退をかけなければならないこと自体がおかしい。

The last thing the people want is to see the ruling and opposition camps keep stabbing each other in the back.
さらに与野党が足を引っ張りあうさまは、国民には見るに堪えない。

We urge the LDP to settle down and look at the situation objectively.
　冷静に考えてみよう。

The second supplementary budget will provide for the distribution of dosimeters for children and the construction of ice-making facilities in disaster-damaged areas so fishermen will be able to resume operations.
　第２次補正には被災地で漁を再開するための製氷施設や、子どもへの線量計の配布が盛り込まれる。

Without legislation to enable special deficit-covering government bond issues, how can the nation finance post-disaster reconstruction work?
赤字国債を出すための特例公債法なしでは被災地の復興対応もままならない。

As for the proposed law to promote renewable energy, nobody could really oppose solar and wind power generation, irrespective of where they stand on nuclear energy.
再生エネ法も原発の是非はどうあれ、太陽光や風力の普及を図ることに異論はないはずだ。

The LDP has absolutely nothing to gain by blocking these bills.
　これらを止めて、自民党に何の利点があるのか。

Surely, the only way to prove its mettle as a party that ruled the nation for decades is to commit to passing these bills swiftly for the sake of survivors of the March disaster as well as the nation at large, and then unseat the Kan administration.
懸案を速やかに処理して、被災者やこれからの日本のために仕事をする。それで菅政権に終止符を打つ。それこそが長く政権を担ってきた自民党の本領ではないか。

The party must discern what's important and what's trivial, and not bother with the latter. Only then will the public regain their respect for the LDP.
　大事と些事（さじ）を切り分け、些事にはこだわらない。そうしてこそ、自民党の株も上がる。

We are certainly not saying the LDP should help to prolong the life of the Kan administration.
　首相の「延命」に手を貸せと言っているのではない。

On the contrary, the DPJ as a whole has already abandoned Kan, and there is no way his administration can survive.
もはや首相は党内でも孤立し、このまま政権が立ちゆくはずもない。

In fact, a general assembly of DPJ lawmakers of both houses of the Diet on June 28 clamored for Kan's early resignation. Even party executives did not conceal their disappointment with Kan.
　きのうの民主党両院議員総会でも、早く退陣せよと求める声が止まらず、執行部からも首相への不満が漏れた。

How long does the LDP intend to keep bickering with this effectively lame-duck administration?
　こんな首相と自民党はいつまでいがみ合うのか。

It's time for the LDP to roll up its sleeves and get the Diet moving.
働いて歯車を回そう。