By Chung Min-uck
Tensions are building between Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party (UDP) and Ahn Cheol-soo, centered around their alleged quest to present a unified candidate to represent the opposition in the upcoming December presidential election.
It is widely believed that a unified candidate will significantly increase the chances of the opposition to beat the incumbent ruling Saenuri Party candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye.
Moon has lately been wooing Ahn to accept plans geared at setting up a political reform committee to negotiate the modalities leading to the presentation of a single candidate ahead of the polls. He had previously invited Ahn to formally switch to the DUP.
But the political newcomer has continuously rejected Moon’s offers citing the need for Moon’s side to come with “political reform within the DUP” which the people can accept.
“The race will certainly include Ahn until an eventual merge deal is brokered,” Moon said during a central election committee meeting, Monday. “I think the two of us are having a fair competition without engaging in negative campaigns.”
This notwithstanding, the 59-year-old human rights lawyer-turned-politician, insists that his electoral fortunes are still bright, because of his expressed confidence in winning “the presidential election as the standard bearer of the DUP.” Whilst saying so, Moon is conscious of the prevailing public sentiment, especially when he concedes that “people want new politics. But I don’t think it means that they are denying the fundamental structure of party politics.”
The two opposition candidates had traded barbs over whether a president without party membership can properly run the state.
A DUP insider said Moon plans to continue to push Ahn to engage in alliance talks, whilst he still holds the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Kim Sung-sik, co-chief of Ahn’s election camp, downplayed Moon’s move referring to it as a political strategy to gain the upper hand in selecting the opposition’s sole presidential candidate in case of a merger.
“The move is politically motivated and it is also wrong to think that the opposition is going to win only if Ahn and Moon unify,” said Kim in a radio interview, Monday. “I don’t think ordinary people are seeing reform measures inside the DUP. Both sides should first focus on interacting with the people, separately.”