By Kang Hyun-kyung, Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporters
The governing and opposition parties are showing few signs of making concessions on several bills, which the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) calls ``bad MB initiatives.''
DP leaders contend that President Lee Myung-bak flexed his muscles and backed the Grand National Party (GNP) leaders playing hardball on the bills pending at the legislature, calling them ``MB bills," after Lee's first initials.
One of the government's most controversial initiatives is to ratify a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, which triggered an unheard-of and shameful melee at the National Assembly on Dec. 18.
The ruling GNP unilaterally sought to advance the FTA motion to the main floor of the parliament with the assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Park Jin invoking his right to do so, whereas the DP strongly objected to the move.
GNP Chairman Park Hee-tae said that his party will pass what he calls ``114 priority bills,'' including the FTA motion by the year-end.
``We've done whatever we could do so far in an attempt to make inter-party negotiations work, but it turned out that we couldn't make it happen,'' he said.
``We'll try more, but if it proves not to be effective, we won't sit back. Politics is all about making decisions and I think that we are approaching the time to make a decision,'' Park said. The conservative GNP controls the Assembly with 172 seats in the 299-member unicameral legislature. The liberal DP has 83 seats.
GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo asked his party lawmakers ``to be prepared'' and refrain from business trips abroad, for the party has to meet a quorum needed to pass the bills.
Some DP lawmakers, meanwhile, were on duty on Christmas Day to frustrate the GNP's possible unilateral vote with their absence from the legislature.
The liberal party has demanded that the government present measures to protect farmers and other businesses, which may see great losses due to increasing U.S. imports, before passing the FTA motion.
The DP labels revisions of the media-related law submitted by GNP lawmakers as ``seven evil bills to control the media.''
The bills seek to allow print media to own broadcasting networks and conglomerates to purchase up to 20 percent of shares of broadcasters and up to 49 percent of shares of news channels.
They also call for the strengthening of protection measures for copyright on the Internet, especially on blogs and cafes provided by local giant portal sites.
DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun slammed the media industry-related bills, calling them the worst form of MB bills. ``The measures explicitly demonstrate the presidential office's plot to put the media under its control," he said.
DP lawmakers forecast that these bills will, in the end, result in increasing the influence of large businesses on the media industry, while undermining freedom of the press.
But GNP leaders assert that the deregulation ― competition-oriented measures ― will help bolster the freedom of press.
Another major bone of contention is whether to ban activists from wearing masks during rallies, and allow people to file class action complaints against protesters.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the GNP submitted another bill, which will institute stronger punishment on Internet users who defame people by posting malicious comments.
If passed, bloggers who are found to defame others will receive a jail term of up to two years, or be fined up to $7,600.
GNP lawmakers say these bills are needed to prevent defamation, while DP leaders oppose them, arguing the measures will limit freedom of expression, as well as freedom of association.
GNP lawmakers are seeking a revision to allow the National Intelligence Service to collect domestic intelligence, which is prohibited under the current law.
They also proposed that police officers and intelligence agents be allowed to intercept voice mail and to offer funds to civic groups that distribute anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets.
The DP made clear its objection to those bills, arguing that they will enable spy agency staff to monitor the activities of opponents, such as opposition parties, lawmakers and civic group leaders.
They also claimed that a government sponsoring of the anti-North Korea leaflet campaign would worsen inter-Korean relations.
The GNP said it would continue to hold talks with the DP to narrow differences over the controversial bills. ``But we must take decisive action after Thursday in a bid to pass the bills this year,'' it said.
Party leader Park also hinted that the governing party's could go-it-alone again to pass the MB bills, with assembly speaker Kim Hyong-o invoking his power to table the FTA motion.
However, the main opposition DP is sticking to its ``no apology, no talks'' approach. ``Unless the GNP and speaker Kim apologize for the unilateral introduction of the FTA motion and promise to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents, talks will be meaningless,'' DP floor leader Won Hye-young said.
DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun alleged that GNP leaders have never made decisions on major agenda items on their own and that they are simply followed guidelines set by the presidential office.
``Cheong Wa Dae, the governing party and Assembly speaker Kim Hyong-o are three core sides that are responsible for the current turbulence in the legislature,'' Chung said.