ED New LKP floor leader

Rep. Na should consolidate unity of party members

Rep. Na Kyung-won was elected new floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Tuesday as the first-ever female whip in the history of the country's conservative party. Her election has drawn keen attention over her leadership both inside and outside the party.

The role of the new head on the floor of the largest conservative opposition party is, needless to say, to solve the deep-rooted internal feud between pro-Park Geun-hye and anti-Park factions ahead of the party's national convention in February to elect a new leader. She swiftly called for unity among party members in her acceptance speech.

As the whip, she also has the critical duty to lead the fight against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and to regain public confidence ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2016 polls.

The LKP has been reeling from a collapse after President Park was ousted, recording its lowest-ever popularity rate. However, public support has increased remarkably of late apparently thanks to the worsening economic conditions caused by the Moon administration's disputed policies including the drastic hikes in the minimum wage.

Na should keep in mind that she has to play a positive role in proposing reasonable and reformative policies and a vision to boost the status of her party. She also needs to keep the ruling party and the government in check, preventing them from pushing for policies in a unilateral way, and instead seeking cooperation with other opposition parties.

In addition, Rep. Na ought to lead her party in mapping out policy alternatives to President Moon's ill-conceived income-led economic growth policy, in order to revive the sagging economy and stimulate business activities.

Maintaining close cooperation with the three small opposition parties is also important in checking the government effectively. First of all, she needs to start negotiations with the ruling and other splinter parties to convene an extraordinary National Assembly session this month to tackle pending issues such as how to reform the electoral system.

As the new floor leader of the opposition party, Na must listen to people's voices that the opposition party's role is not to oppose for the sake of opposition, but to oppose with reasonable alternatives.