Senior liberal figures lash out at DUP over reform failure
Ven. Pomnyun, Chairman of the Peace Foundation
By Chung Min-uck
Senior liberal figures on Wednesday lashed out at the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) regarding the defeat of its candidate, Moon Jae-in, in the Dec. 19 presidential election.
“The DUP didn’t even mention its past mistakes committed under the former Roh Moo-hyun government,” said Ven. Pomnyun, Chairman of the Peace Foundation and founder of the Jungto Community, a religious group, in a radio interview. “In comparison, President-elect Park Geun-hye declared a shift in her position about the disputed historical perspective (over her father and late President Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial rule).”
“The mainstream pro-Roh faction should have abandoned their vested interests.”
Pro-Roh figures have been at the helm of the DUP since the April 11 general elections and throughout the December presidential election.
Pomnyun is a close confidant of former independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and has long backed the idea of creating a new political party that can embrace middle-of-the-roaders.
The Buddhist monk, in 2011, recruited Ahn for “Youth Concert,” a popular live talk show that played a key role in the professor-turned-politician’s rise toward becoming a major political player. He is considered to be Ahn’s political mentor.
Pomnyun further went on to criticize fallout from the opposition alliance between Rep. Moon Jae-in and Ahn.
“Some of Ahn supporters drifted away from the opposition bloc because Ahn broke away amid the ongoing alliance talks which led to Moon’s single candidacy,” he said. “The opposition ended up choosing an unsuitable candidate. If Ahn was chosen, the election could have been an easy victory.”
Ahn, who enjoys a strong following among young people and others seeking alternative political representation to that offered by the major parties, dropped his candidacy, referring to the DUP’s lack of sincerity toward political reform.
Regarding Ahn’s possible creation of a new opposition party, he said “it will all depend on how the DUP reforms itself.” “However, the DUP is still not reflecting back properly on their mistakes. Then there is no other choice but to follow the will of the people (which is to create a new party).”
The former independent candidate is currently taking a break in the United States and thought to be preparing a return to politics.
Choi Jang-jip, a renowned liberal theorist and political professor of Korea University, also echoed this view.
“The DUP was perceived by the people as only representing a single faction instead of an integrated opposition bloc,” said Choi in an interview with a local daily released on Wednesday. “The presidential election was a mere repetition of the defeat in the April elections.”
The DUP, in the parliamentary elections, allowed the ruling Saenuri Party to gain a majority, despite opportune conditions caused by the ever-declining popularity of President Lee Myung-bak.
Meanwhile, Rep. Park Ki-choon, who was elected last week as the party’s new floor leader, in a New Year meeting on Wednesday, said “the ad-hoc emergency committee should be launched in a way that people can agree.” “This might be our last chance to woo back public support.”
The DUP is slated to launch an emergency committee this month led by a new interim chairman. However, it is yet to decide whether to select the new leader via recommendations or by means of a vote due to conflicting factional interests between the mainstream pro-Roh faction and the reformist faction.