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The United Democratic Party has ultimately chosen to do what the public had wished for. The UDP's nominating committees have decided to eliminate from the nomination list anyone who has spent time in prison for ethical transgression, financial fraud or other corrupt conduct. As a result, 11 officials, including the son of former President Kim Dae-jung, his aides, the aides of ex-President Roh Moo-hyun and other prominent officials have been eliminated from the list. We¡¯re about to see a major change in the lineup of lawmakers representing the Jeolla region, where nomination in the past automatically led to a National Assembly seat. This is a revolution that is unprecedented in the history of the opposition party.
The UDP¡¯s leadership had no choice but to accept the recommendation of its nominating committees. That¡¯s because the party, which had suffered a humiliating loss during the presidential election, faced certain destruction if it went against the wishes of the public and nominated lawmakers in the traditional way. It is as part of the UDP¡¯s struggle to survive that the party has chosen to bow to the public¡¯s demands rather than those of powerful party members and implement painful changes.
The person behind the latest changes at the UDP is Park Jae-seung, the head of its nomination committee. Park, the former head of the Korean Bar Association, said people he knew were among those eliminated from the party¡¯s nomination list, but there would be no exceptions. Nobody was able to bend his will and conviction. The UDP is said to have labeled the latest revolution in the party ¡°Park¡¯s War.¡±
But while the UDP is making revolutionary changes, the Grand National Party has nobody who comes even close to Park. A majority of pro-Lee Myung-bak or pro-Park Geun-hye candidates have already been nominated. When the president¡¯s brother, who is to run in a constituency in the Gyeongsang region, was nominated early, veteran GNP lawmakers are said to have been relieved. The GNP¡¯s ethics chief criticized the practice but is being treated as a strange person. The GNP is unwilling to change and content to take swipes at the UDP¡¯s decision.
It is true that the GNP was the first to refuse to nominate people who had received prison sentences. The son of former President Kim Young-sam had to give up his bid for a National Assembly seat. And there were changes in the GNP¡¯s metropolitan constituencies in the lineup of nominees. But the public expects much more from the ruling party, which is off to a new start for the first time in 10 years. What the public wants is an influx of fresh talent and the ouster of lawmakers with records of punishment for corruption. The public wants the ruling party to lead this revolution.
If the GNP caves in to internal strife, the public will not forgive it. And President Lee and former GNP chairwoman Park probably know better than anyone else the consequences of this response from the public.
The GNP has two choices: cave in to powerful officials or to the wishes of the public. One leads to destruction, the other to success. We will soon find out which path the GNP takes from the way it handles itself in nominations for the Gyeongsang region.
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