Chung Mong-joon
Grand National Party chairman |
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The governing Grand National Party (GNP) refused Thursday to agree to a parliamentary investigation into the effectiveness of a 22-trillion-won ($18.9 trillion) river refurbishment project.
The reaction came after the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) submitted a request calling for a parliamentary investigation into the four-river plan.
GNP Chairman Chung Mong-joon urged the DP to address the issue during the 20-day National Assembly inspection of the administration, which started Monday, before seeking an investigation.
``The project hasn't even begun. If there is a problem, the DP should point it out and suggest alternative plans during the ongoing parliamentary inspection,'' Chung said.
He also added that the project has been welcomed by the majority of residents living around the rivers as it will promote balanced national development and improve water quality.
Rep. Ahn Sang-soo, floor leader of the governing party, also criticized the DP's move to block the project.
He said the main opposition party made the request in order to draw public attention and give the impression the yet-to-be-launched project is destined to fail.
``The DP already made the same request on Sept. 8, which is only a month ago,'' Anh said. ``It appears the DP is just trying to make a fuss out of nothing by repeating its request during the parliamentary audit.''
Pundits say a parliamentary probe into the river project is unlikely to take place as the GNP, which has 167 of 290 Assembly seats, is firm on pushing the project. President Lee Myung-bak has strongly endorsed the plan since his inauguration in February last year.
A parliamentary investigation into a government-initiated project requires votes from at least half of the lawmakers.
The GNP says the venture will help prevent floods and fight droughts, improve water quality and create more jobs for ordinary citizens.
The government plans to set up 16 reservoirs that can store 1.3 billion cubic meters of water, as the nation expects a shortage of up to 1 billion cubic meters in 2016 due to climate change.
The DP is, however, demanding an immediate stop to the scheme, saying the financing methods of the project breach the law and its construction would cause a water shortage for 1.3 million people and destroy the environment.
The party claimed the project will erode the country's fiscal soudness amid a sluggish economy.
Environmental groups have advised the government to study more about its ecological impack before starting work.
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