Moon should do far more to end factional strife
After twists and turns, the main opposition party has approved a package of reform measures despite opposition from non-mainstreamers. But the party's factional conflict might worsen as the mainstream, which is the pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction led by Moon Jae-in, chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, and non-mainstream lawmakers clash over a vote of confidence on his leadership.
The reform package was endorsed with unanimous applause at the liberal party's central committee meeting Wednesday. After the meeting, Moon said, ''Reform begins now. We have to strive for unity.'' However, lawmakers outside the pro-Roh faction boycotted the meeting after their demand for a secret ballot was rejected. Ahn Cheol-soo, a first-term lawmaker who demanded the meeting be delayed during his talks with Moon a day earlier, did not show up.
With the passage of the package at the central committee, the largest opposition party's innovation work appears to have neared a close. Moon, who staked his fate on whether the package was passed, also appears to have cleared the first hurdle.
Subsequently, he is poised to push for the confidence vote to put an end to the controversy over his leadership and seize hegemony over the party. But it's doubtful this will go as planned, considering that the approval of the reform package is the beginning, not the end of the dispute.
As things stand now, chances that the NPAD's internal dispute will soon subside are slim. Rather, chances are high that the nation's second-largest party with 129 lawmakers might slip into more severe chaos.
Even if Moon survives the confidence vote, it's unlikely that the party's non-mainstream factions will accept the outcome. That's because the ongoing strife is about protecting vested rights over party nominations for April's parliamentary elections. Non-mainstream lawmakers have claimed that the innovation proposals were designed to favor mainstream members and solidify Moon's power.
Moon on Wednesday reaffirmed his intention to conclude the vote before the Chuseok holiday, while his opponents within the party were reacting angrily. His hard-line stance could put the liberal party into a worst state by exacerbating conflict and division ― a party split, for example.
This is certainly no time for the NPAD to be stuck in internal strife, especially given that its approval ratings are at only half of the ruling Saenuri Party's. History teaches us that elections held with a divided opposition camp ended with its crushing defeat, without exception.
As this page pointed out repeatedly, the presence of a strong opposition party tasked with checks and balances is the key to a democracy. That the main opposition has been messing up is a grave situation.
All this requires the party's neutralists to act decisively to mediate the dispute. Moon, for his part, should do far more to end the factional strife and persuade his opponents to join the party innovation. In this process, he needs to be bold enough to kick out his close confidants.
The non-mainstreamers also have to suggest reasonable alternatives, shying away from opposition for opposition's sake. It's clear that the NPAD will have no future unless its factions meet halfway.
After twists and turns, the main opposition party has approved a package of reform measures despite opposition from non-mainstreamers. But the party's factional conflict might worsen as the mainstream, which is the pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction led by Moon Jae-in, chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, and non-mainstream lawmakers clash over a vote of confidence on his leadership.
The reform package was endorsed with unanimous applause at the liberal party's central committee meeting Wednesday. After the meeting, Moon said, ''Reform begins now. We have to strive for unity.'' However, lawmakers outside the pro-Roh faction boycotted the meeting after their demand for a secret ballot was rejected. Ahn Cheol-soo, a first-term lawmaker who demanded the meeting be delayed during his talks with Moon a day earlier, did not show up.
With the passage of the package at the central committee, the largest opposition party's innovation work appears to have neared a close. Moon, who staked his fate on whether the package was passed, also appears to have cleared the first hurdle.
Subsequently, he is poised to push for the confidence vote to put an end to the controversy over his leadership and seize hegemony over the party. But it's doubtful this will go as planned, considering that the approval of the reform package is the beginning, not the end of the dispute.
As things stand now, chances that the NPAD's internal dispute will soon subside are slim. Rather, chances are high that the nation's second-largest party with 129 lawmakers might slip into more severe chaos.
Even if Moon survives the confidence vote, it's unlikely that the party's non-mainstream factions will accept the outcome. That's because the ongoing strife is about protecting vested rights over party nominations for April's parliamentary elections. Non-mainstream lawmakers have claimed that the innovation proposals were designed to favor mainstream members and solidify Moon's power.
Moon on Wednesday reaffirmed his intention to conclude the vote before the Chuseok holiday, while his opponents within the party were reacting angrily. His hard-line stance could put the liberal party into a worst state by exacerbating conflict and division ― a party split, for example.
This is certainly no time for the NPAD to be stuck in internal strife, especially given that its approval ratings are at only half of the ruling Saenuri Party's. History teaches us that elections held with a divided opposition camp ended with its crushing defeat, without exception.
As this page pointed out repeatedly, the presence of a strong opposition party tasked with checks and balances is the key to a democracy. That the main opposition has been messing up is a grave situation.
All this requires the party's neutralists to act decisively to mediate the dispute. Moon, for his part, should do far more to end the factional strife and persuade his opponents to join the party innovation. In this process, he needs to be bold enough to kick out his close confidants.
The non-mainstreamers also have to suggest reasonable alternatives, shying away from opposition for opposition's sake. It's clear that the NPAD will have no future unless its factions meet halfway.
