Lawmakers from the opposition parties hold a rally against the government plan to restore four rivers at the National Assembly, Monday. Opponents call for cutting budget allocated for the project. / Korea Times |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The countdown has begun for the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) to railroad the government's proposed budget as a bipartisan agreement before the year's end is seen as nearly impossible.
The GNP and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) made their versions of concessions Monday, but neither side was convinced that their counterparts were ready to talk.
Floor leader Ahn Sang-soo asked all GNP lawmakers not to travel abroad to prepare for a possible railroading of the budget.
The DP also asked its legislators to occupy in the conference room of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts to thwart the GNP's action.
The DP floor leader Lee Kang-rae proposed Monday that the ruling and opposition parties start negotiations on the budget first so as to pass it by the year's end.
Under the proposal, the two sides would delay discussions on money set aside for the four-river refurbishment project until next February.
The proposal came a day after Korea won a $40 billion nuclear power plant deal in the United Arab Emirates.
Some DP lawmakers cautiously expressed concern that President Lee Myung-bak's summit diplomacy may motivate the public to hold negative perceptions of the DP's boycotting of the budget deal.
The GNP has not answered the DP's proposal.
The DP repeated its demands to cut the budget for the four-river project. Its legislators suspect that the approximately 8 trillion won set aside for the refurbishment project may ultimately be used to construct a trans-nation canal.
In an effort to quench their suspicions, GNP lawmakers adopted a resolution swearing that they will not attempt to build such a waterway.
The statement, however, did not convince DP lawmakers to end their sit-in protest in the conference room.
National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o proposed that the GNP and the DP pass a compromise budget proposal and let lawmakers vote on the measure in a plenary session.
The National Assembly will open its three-day plenary session today, requiring ruling and opposition parties to wrap up negotiations by Monday.
Kim made it clear that he had no plan to invoke his power to table the proposal, indicating that the GNP should pass the budget at least at committee level to allow it to pass in the plenary session.
The possible scenario for the fate of the budget is that the ruling GNP will push it through at committee level, which will inevitably lead to turmoil and clashes.
If the GNP passes it at committee level, it may ask Speaker Kim not to be present at the plenary session so that the vice speaker can be in charge to table the proposal.
If the DP successfully block the GNP action and the budget is not approved this year, the government could set up a provisional budget.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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