The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) is in a state of panic after its candidate Moon Jae-in lost to his ruling party rival Park Geun-hye.
Fears are mounting that the party may drift like a ship without a captain for a considerable time. A strong backlash is already engulfing the party over who should be responsible for failing to retake power following its unexpected defeat in the April 11 parliamentary elections. With the loss of Moon, a confidant and former chief of staff to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, factional infighting within the DUP is likely to escalate. Party officials couldn’t hide their embarrassment at the defeat, given that voter turnout was 75.8 percent.
Then, what went wrong with the DUP?
First of all, the party’s excessive obsession with the issue of unifying candidates with software mogul-turned-professor Ahn Cheool-soo was a major blunder that raised widespread questions about Moon’s viability as contender in his own right. As negotiations were protracted, the opposition party was unable to focus on campaigning. Furthermore, Ahn’s sudden withdrawal from the presidential race led to a massive exodus of Ahn supporters from the opposition camp.
The DUP’s lackluster reforms after the election defeat in April disappointed many voters, especially centrists, which caused them to turn away from the opposition party. Moon also failed to set himself apart from Park on such key issues as ``economic democratization’’ and welfare.
There is also strong vocal opposition to the party’s pro-Roh faction, which took the lead in campaigning without being conscious of voters’ antagonism that arose from their disillusionment with the Roh administration. This feeling is described well by a DUP lawmaker’s remarks quoted by Yonhap News: ``This is an election where the Saenuri Party’s Park was not chosen but our party was judged harshly by voters.”
Whatever the reasons, the opposition lost in the crucial election and needs to restructure itself to have a chance in five years’ time. Talk of political realignment will emerge and the key lies in creating a party that will go beyond the existing DUP to restore public confidence. The opposition should turn over a new leaf and become a completely different party that can play the role of checks and balances.
At the center of the retooling drive will be Ahn who left for San Francisco hours after casting his vote Wednesday. He is widely expected to embark on organizing his own political force and may emerge as a pivot within the opposition. This will be quite meaningful if he devotes himself to realizing his creed of ``new politics’’ through vigorous political activities.
It remains to be seen what will be in store for Moon, the loser, but it’s encouraging to see him concede defeat without delay. This will surely contribute to accumulating a tradition of concessions in our democracy.
The DUP need not be disappointed too much but should go its own way to win the hearts and minds of the people with realistic policies and a vision that could appeal to the centrists.