Lawmakers discuss measures against leadership over feuds
Less than 100 days until the presidential election, the main opposition Democratic United Party still remains divided amid primary feuds.
Tension mounted further as senior members of the party held an urgent closed-door meeting to discuss whether the current leadership should resign taking responsibility for the internal disputes.
The Supreme Council meeting on Monday, too, was filled with criticism, especially over the use of violence during some of the regional primaries.
“The leadership should have guided the party into renewal and development, but has now become a subject of criticism,” said Rep. Kim Han-gil.
“We must, however, endure whatever pain in order to win (the presidential race).”
Rep. Kang Gi-jung, one of the reformist members of the decision-making body, also claimed that the leadership and the presidential candidates are jointly responsible for the violence and disunity.
“The leadership failed to win the people’s heart as its primary rules were incomplete from the beginning,” he said.
“The candidates, too, should take responsibility and actively participate in the party’s self-renewing efforts.”
Kang also suggested that the four presidential candidates should meet with party chief Rep. Lee Hae-chan to seek unity and cooperation.
Rep. Lee did not show up at Monday’s meeting, citing health reasons, but speculations rose that his intention was to dodge the reproach over the violence during the South Chungcheong primary on the previous day.
Some party members displayed their discontent for the leadership and the primary rules and threw water bottles at the platform during the speech session.
Amid elevating conflict, senior lawmakers including vice parliamentary speaker Rep. Park Byeong-seug met during a closed-door luncheon on Monday.
Though they failed to reach a consensus over the leadership’s fate, the participants agreed that the party’s top priority task is to abolish the factional feuds, Park told reporters.
First-termers, too, planned to form a task force to seek the party’s renewal.
“In order to promote in-party communication, we must activate the party meetings, instead of being tied to rules and formats,” said Rep. Kim Ki-sik.
In response to such internal backlash, floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won summoned an early morning meeting on Tuesday to “openly discuss all pending issues.”
Many, however, suspected that the call was a mere stopgap policy to soothe the complaints while the primaries are yet underway.
The party’s communication chief Rep. Oh Young-sik claimed that the leadership should step down, once the party selects its final presidential candidate.
“During the few weeks after the candidate selection, the DUP should devote its entire energy to winning an upper hand in the election,” he said.
“For this, members of the leadership should voluntarily give up their authority and place their focus on the candidate.”
The primary result is to be confirmed this Sunday, but a runoff election will be held in case the leading contestant fails to win more than 50 percent of the votes.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
