Professor Offers Survival Tips for Main Opposition Party
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A progressive writer and columnist Wednesday advised leaders of the Democratic Party (DP) to weed out neo-liberalist elements from the party's economic vision to remedy the negative stance against it.
At a policy forum prepared by a DP think tank, Chung Ang University Professor Jin Jung-kweon said that doing so is the only way to help the main opposition party regain public confidence.
``As long as the DP tries to preserve a neo-liberalist stance, the public will perceive it as a fake Grand National Party (GNP), given the two parties' economic visions are almost identical,'' said the columnist.
In August, DP leaders put forth a plan to cut taxes, which was the signature policy of the governing GNP, as a means to help working-class families hit hard by soaring oil prices.
The DP invited Jin to speak at the lecture to see what went wrong with its policy visions and strategies and review a possible solution.
Opinion polls said support for the DP has been hovering around merely 15 percent, even after the anti-American beef rallies.
Pollsters say the poll results indicate that people do not perceive the DP as an alternative to the GNP.
Jin said two former liberal presidents ― Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun ― had fought against the conservative GNP based on a consistent strategy.
``But, the two administrations' seeking the neo-liberalistic visions in favor of the wealthy came at the expense of weakening the support base, which is the working class,'' he observed.
The columnist continued his bitter criticism of the opposition party, saying, ``The DP says it represents the best interests of working-class families, but it advocates economic visions designed for the wealthy.''
``The party should eliminate the elements that caused their traditional supporters to turn their backs,'' he said.
The liberal DP is not the only group the progressive writer has condemned.
Earlier, the 46-year-old writer openly criticized the conservative camp including President Lee Myung-bak, the GNP and some media for their ``problematic'' stance on major national agendas including the resumption of imports of American beef.
When the anti-American beef protests paralyzed traffic in downtown Seoul, Jin was part of the rallies.
He called President Lee's remarks that American beef is safe to eat a lie in a television program where he appeared as a discussant.
During the April 9 elections, Jin, who campaigned for a minor progressive party, said President Lee and his GNP's popularity had begun declining.
He made it clear, however, that the largest opposition DP would not replace the GNP as the opposition party would not be able to regain voter confidence.
Jin was a former Democratic Labor Party member but changed his party affiliation for a minor progressive party, which split from the DLP before the April 9 National Assembly elections.
He is now serving as a goodwill ambassador for a progressive party led by former lawmaker Shim Sang-jeong.
Jin has drawn public attention mainly due to his cynical writing and speaking style. His reputation lies at both extremes of good and bad. His fans say he is a man who acts on his beliefs, but his cynical style often evokes conservatives' ire, sparking controversy.