Pull down Saenuri Party and create a new conservative party

Pull down Saenuri Party and create a new conservative party. December. 12, 2016 07:09. jinnyong@donga.com.

Considering the result of December 9th impeachment vote held in the National Assembly, the ruling Saenuri Party needs to focus on the number of dissenting votes, not the number of yes votes. Among 300 enrolled lawmakers, only Rep. Choi- Kyung-hwan withdrew from voting and 56 others voted in favor of the impeachment motion. It means that the total number of 57 lawmakers actively declared their intention that they strongly disagreed on expelling Park from politics. In other words, only 57 lawmakers are the real Park Geun-hye faction (who are royal to President Park) among 128 Saenuri Party members. About 20 members of the Park Geun-hye faction shifted their position since the April 13 general elections. The main stream of the party is now the faction who voted in favor of the impeachment or the non-Park Geun-hye faction (who are opposing to the president).

Lawmakers of the non-Park Geun-hye faction held a meeting to address emergency situation Sunday and argued that the result of impeachment vote showed that the Saenuri Party members had no confidence in the pro-Park Geun-hye leadership and demanded them to withdraw from the party and the renewal of personnel. According to a Gallup Korea poll released last week, the approval rating of the Saenuri Party was mere 13 percent and that was same with the People’s Party and half of the main opposition the Minjoo Party (35 percent). Also, the poll found 80 percent of the public agreed with the impeachment. Thus, Saenuri Chairman Lee Jung-hyun and the pro-Park Geun-hye leadership must hand over the baton to the non-Park Geun-hye faction that greatly contributed to pass the motion and withdraw from the party.

Right after the impeachment motion was passed on Dec. 9, however, Chairman Lee said that he would resign before Dec. 21 on the condition that the minimum strategies were established to fill the gap of the party. The minimum strategies mean an establishment of an emergency committee and an election of its chairman. It is nothing more than a political calculation that he would influence over the launch of emergency committee. The Park Geun-hye faction should announce their withdrawal from politics feeling devastated immediately after the suspension of President Park, their political leader.

As President Park has been impeached, it is not right that the Park Geun-hye faction continues to remain in the party. Leaving the party would be the right choice, if they really care for the party. If the Saenuri Ethics Committee, that is considering reprimanding president, decides to expel as a disciplinary action while the president still remains in the party, there can be a conflict inside the party, resulting in splitting the party. It is also difficult to regain the public’s trust over the conservative party, even if non-Park Geun-hye faction takes over the leadership. The right solution now is to completely pull down the ruling Saenuri Party and to create a new conservative one that values free democracy, market economy, legality, and ethics to prepare for next presidential election.