Saenuri seeks to cut No. of lawmakers

University students in superhero outfits pose for photographs at a campaign event for the ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Lee Hahn-koo, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, suggested Thursday that the opposition United Democratic Party (DUP) agree to cut the total number of National Assembly members to “a reasonable level.”

Reducing the number of lawmakers was a campaign pledge made by former independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. Lee’s suggestion to cut the number of lawmakers, currently set at 300, is seen as a move to attract votes from supporters of Ahn.

“I call for a bipartisan agreement on downsizing the number of lawmakers to a reasonable level,” Lee told reporters after a meeting with the party's political reforms special committee in the National Assembly.

However, he stopped short of defining what a ‘reasonable level’ might be.

Lee admitted that it is difficult to pursue the proposed downsizing before the Dec. 19 election. “But we at least could reach an agreement with the Democratic United Party ahead of the poll.”

Regarding how the ruling party will carry through the reduction, he said there will be further discussions to formulate detailed action plans.

“As far as I know, people are overwhelmingly in favor of reducing the number. Mindful of that, we should discuss it,” he said.

The floor leader stressed that the ruling party had never supported the idea of increasing the number in the past.

In October, Ahn first initiated the idea of cutting the number of lawmakers as part of his election pledges to overhaul the political system along with reducing government subsidies for political parties and abolishing the centralized party system.

At the time, the ruling party expressed its skepticism, saying the ideas were “too ideal or naive.”

Ahn Dae-hee, a former prosecutor who now chairs the political reform committee of the ruling party, had said, “It was an inappropriate idea.”

Lee Sang-il, spokesman of the party, had also said disapprovingly: “Ahn’s proposals appeared to be hurriedly put together because he had been criticized for failing to provide a blueprint for the future.”

Political watchers view the conservative party’s shift in attitude as its attempts to attract swing voters in the middle and independent voters who have not expressed their preference toward a certain candidate after Ahn’s resignation.

“Reducing the number of lawmakers is a controversial issue and cannot be realized that easily. So, it can be seen as a tactic to appeal to Ahn’s fan base. Whether or not they actually have the willpower to do it remains to be seen,” said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.

Lee, the Saenuri floor leader, also said that it will accept the DUP’s demands that they will cut the annual pay of lawmakers by 30 percent.

“We promise to carry out the 30-percent pay reduction. To implement the pay cut, we should rewrite related laws and it should be reflected in next year’s budget,” Lee said.

He also suggested to the DUP that they pass the “no-work, no-pay law” simultaneously with the revision of the law needed to cut the lawmakers’ pay.

He also suggested a meeting between floor leaders from the ruling and the opposition parties to push political reform measures.

“I suggest establishing the permanent political reform committee at the National Assembly to iron out differences between the ruling and opposition parties on reform measures,” Lee said.