The Uri Party leadership on Sunday called an emergency meeting to discuss its future after yet another by-election defeat. A proposal to break up the ruling party is picking up steam, with several party leaders reportedly arguing it will be impossible for the party to win next year¡¯s presidential election and proposing a re-merger with the Millennium Democratic Party or joining forces with the moderate former prime minister and presidential hopeful Goh Kun.
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Uri Party chairman Kim Geun-tae speaks on the future of the party at an emergency meeting held at a hotel in Yeouido Sunday.
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The proposals drowned out calls for reform from a minority including lawmaker Rhee Mok-hee. But the party leadership failed to agree on details. Chairman Kim Geun-tae called for creation of a new party centered on the current party leadership, while other lawmakers want a taskforce with absolute authority to decide. Lawmaker Park Myung-kwang, who is close to former party chairman Chung Dong-young, attempted to slam on the brakes, saying creation of a new party should be discussed only after the parliamentary plenary session wraps up.
After fierce discussion, the party decided to put the issue in the hands of an emergency committee, but formation of a separate taskforce will be discussed further. A member of the leadership team said the party will decide whether to create a new party or reform in the general meeting of Uri lawmakers on Thursday.
However, resistance to the idea is by no means negligible. Lawmaker Lee Hwa-young, a President Roh Moo-hyun loyalist, said only some lawmakers like former justice minister Chun Jung-bae were pushing a ¡°nonsensical proposal to disorganize the party¡± in pursuit of personal ambitions. Instead, Lee proposed bringing the national party convention forward to reform but maintain the party.
Choi Chul-kook, a lawmaker from South Gyeongsang Province, said one variable is whether President Roh will join the new party. Oh Jae-sae, a lawmaker from the Chungcheong area, said he would not support a new party if it again has its political stronghold in the Jeolla provinces, which are effectively in the gift of former president Kim Dae-jung. Lawmaker Lee Sang-min said it was wrong to think that merging with the Millennium Democratic Party, the party Uri originally split from in 2003, would resolve the problems it faces.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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