ed No time for wrangling

A presidential spokesman indicated Tuesday that President Park Geun-hye would veto a revision to the National Assembly Act that enables lawmakers to demand changes to government-enacted ordinances. The indication seems to reflect President Park’s mind, but it is questionable if this is the time for political wrangling.

On Monday, National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa sent the bill, which was approved May 29 and slightly modified Monday, to the administration. Earlier, the ruling and opposition parties accepted Chung’s mediation over the bill. The bill initially stated that the legislature can “demand’’ that the government change its ordinances, but Chung asked lawmakers to replace the word “demand’’ with “request’’ to prevent what appears to be constitutional violations.

The bill carries considerable political significance in that the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy decided to accept the speaker’s compromise after fierce internal debate.

The government’s concern about parliamentary coercion over ordinances has eased considerably as the bill softened the wording of the revision. It’s also true that the parties ― while engaging in this matter in recent weeks ― have reached a consensus that there is no need for the administration to unconditionally accept the Assembly’s request to revise ordinances.

President Park’s reluctance to accept the compromise is understandable. Although the parliamentary head said the revision removed any possibility of unconstitutionality, there still remain the seeds of constitutional disputes such as a provision allowing the Assembly to vet whether ordinances violate their parent laws.

Even so, it would be wrong if the President vetoed the revised bill.

In fact, there have been some cases in which administrative legislation, which refers to enacting government ordinances, encroached upon the intent of the relevant law.

Also, it will be practically impossible for the opposition party to revise ordinances without the consent of the governing party, which retains a majority at the unicameral legislature. Moreover, there is no way for the Assembly to enforce the revision of ordinances though the executive branch refuses to do so. All things considered, there is very little likelihood that the government would have to amend its ordinances at the request of the legislature.

President Park has until June 30 to decide whether to sign the bill into a law or send it back to the Assembly for reconsideration. If she chooses the latter, it could cause extreme political confusion. A two-thirds vote in the Assembly would override a presidential veto, and this could result in the President parting ways with the ruling party.

At a time when Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is spiraling out of control due largely to the government’s inept initial response, it would be political suicide for President Park. She has to give top priority to containing the epidemic.