NPAD emergency committee head doubts over creating a new party

Rep. Moon Hee-sang, head of the emergency committee of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), said on liberal groups’ discussions over creating a new party on Tuesday, “There should be a cause that reflects zeitgeist (spirit of the age and a public consensus for a new party. But I’m not sure whether the new party meets the requirements.”

Although he told reporters on the 100th day of the launch of the party’s emergency committee in the National Assembly, “There is no reason to block creating a new party and I welcome it,” he strongly criticized the discussions over creating a new party. Referring to Chung Dong-young, a former presidential candidate and the party’s senior advisor, who is trying to leave the party, Moon said, “He’s largely responsible for the party’s current difficulties. I hope he won’t do it (leaving the party) but if he wants, then who can stop him?” He added, “Leaving the party is not saving the party. I’d like to tell him ‘Please save the party.’”

As for the responsibility of the pan-opposition alliance with the Unified Progressive Party, a move that was initiated by the NPAD (formerly the Democratic Party), Moon said, “It is a strategy and tactics, and alliance itself is not evil," adding, "The leadership allied with the party to win the election. The then leadership assumed the responsibility for the failure in the election.” He dismissed the responsibility for the alliance of opposition parties after the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the dissolution of the United Progressive Party. He said that the party would not ally with the groups from the Unified Progressive Party. “I’m not trying to advocate pro-North Korea groups but it is a new McCarthyism to denounce people as a pro-North Korea group and make a farfetched story about them,” Moon said, implying that the follow-up investigations on the disbanded party are “denouncing people as a pro-North Korea group.”

“Economic democratization went missing, democracy regressed and the inter-Korean relationship is reaching to the worst-case scenario,” Moon said on the Park Geun-hye administration. “As it is not too late, the administration should revamp itself by reconsidering the overhaul of the presidential office and the Cabinet.” He said his party would complete the composition of a special committee on constitution reform in January next year.