We're the victims: When morality has no place in politics

By Daniel Shin

There are no morals in politics. Morals apply to both actions and intentions as they concern the righteousness of their intent and act. Openness in the political processes and holding elected leaders accountable for their actions are essential for a morally sound political system. Collectively, we, the general public, also have a moral threshold where we prioritize ethics over personal gain. Political ethics is the practice of making moral judgments about political actions and their agents. However, we’re missing them out here.

Moral judgment is often politically situational. People are more forgiving to themselves, but behave punitively and unethically toward their opponents. That's human nature. Your sense of right and wrong influences your attitude toward politics. Every politician is a corrupt imbecile in some sense. Honesty and accountability by politicians have significantly deteriorated as our senses become less sharp.

Polarization is shaking societies across the world from newly established ones to long-lasting ones. To end paralysis from polarization and extreme political division, the political landscape needs restructuring and we need new actors. If politics in the past was a matter of parties, new political figures must bear new hopes for normativity on their independent capacity to obtain allegiance rather than on state recognition.

Entrepreneurs often want to get involved in politics, believing that they have what it takes to drive their country forward. For entrepreneurs, many of whom enjoy affecting change, the lure of political office may be hard to resist as well. Political entrepreneurs are people who create ideas and innovations and act as fresh new leaders in the field of politics. Entrepreneurs with political connections may have opportunities to directly communicate with relevant government officials, thereby possibly influencing them for a major change in the policy.

Entrepreneurs tend to solve problems fast. Entrepreneurs thrive on efficiency. Startups are all about making things happen and politics are all about communication and persuasion. This is the common view on these two worlds which seem to have lots of similarities. Businessmen who have become politicians can bring fresh energy into the public service with new perspectives and their skills to mobilize resources rather than talk. They come from an ecosystem that is driven by urgency to produce measurable outcomes.

Politicians are killing the economy. Politics and the economy are closely linked and the decisions made by political bodies can have a significant impact on a country's economy. Elected officials tend to use monetary and fiscal policies to try to swing elections in their favor. For many voters, the economy is very personal. Many politicians are smart enough to fix the economy, but it won't be enough to defeat populism. On taxes, deficits, inflations and so forth, all politicians seem determined to trash as many economic principles as possible for their own political aspirations when we look at the way they act.

No economy, no politics. Economic decline is leading to political instability, but in fact, political instability triggers further economic downturn. Business is all about people serving and giving value to others. However, improving economic performance at a time of political instability is impeding effective policy-making. The uncertainty associated with an unstable political environment may reduce investment and the pace of economic development. Ultimately, the nation's economy affects how people vote in elections and their political viewpoints often skew the way they perceive the economy. Though, it is a lose-lose game.

Further democratic erosion in Korea would have serious economic consequences for the country's economy and business sectors. Korea loses its momentum in a big way due to the recent political disaster. Korea's sovereign credit rating is stable despite political upheaval, but the economy's overall growth momentum and the nation’s reputation appear to be weakening. It is almost impossible to get it back anytime soon.

Moral leaders purvey hope and they inspire hope in others by really helping them see possibility and helping them embrace the commonality in the other. Moral leaders celebrate and model the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior, especially when it is difficult or unpopular. A key component of moral leadership is motivating others to live up to their personal ethical standards and those of your organization, even in the face of difficulty or temptations to behave unethically. Moral leadership pursues truth and upholds ethical standards. Moral leadership matters now more than ever.

It is difficult to become a moral leader in this unjust world. Moral leadership is providing values or meaning for people to live by and inspiration to act and motivation to hold oneself accountable. Moral leadership means always putting people at the center of major decisions, seeing them in their full humanity with their own aspirations and concerns.

The road back to principled and moral leadership will be long. But through disciplined efforts from voters and politicians, Korea can reclaim its moral authority and restore ethics as a hallmark of public service. The work must begin now.

Daniel Shin is a venture capitalist and senior luxury fashion executive, overseeing corporate development at MCM, a German luxury brand. He also teaches at Korea University.