The reform panel of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy unveiled its 10th and last package of proposals Monday. The Innovation Committee will soon end its operations which started in June in the wake of the party’s successive defeats in major elections.
The latest proposals call on the party to form an electoral college of nonparty members to nominate candidates for the next parliamentary elections in April. The panel also suggested offering extra points to “fresh figures,” women and the handicapped in the nomination process.
Good or bad, the proposals, like previous ones, face an uncertain future because they have to be endorsed by the party’s executive council, which will continue to be elusive mainly due to the entrenched factional strife in the party.
Members of minority factions suspect that the party’s mainstreamers, headed by party leader Moon Jae-in, intend to exploit the reform proposals to pursue their own political interests.
Former joint party leaders Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil are at the forefront of criticism of Moon and the head of the reform, Kim Sang-kon, a liberal former education superintendent. The two former leaders have already called the work of the panel a failure.
On Sunday, Ahn called a news conference — which is rare for him — to increase the pressure behind his reform efforts. He argued that the party was obsessed by exclusiveness and hegemony — apparently pointing to Moon’s leadership — and that it has yet to do away with what he called “outdated liberalism” and corruption. He went on to say that the reform panel’s work only makes him worry that the entire party may perish.
To be fair, Ahn’s points have some grounds in that the panel’s work has failed to pull the party together and draw support from the general public. Almost each proposal made by the panel pitted the party’s rival factions against each other.
Kim Sang-kon retaliated by accusing Ahn of being impetuous and rude, opposing reform and inciting division.
Due to this antagonistic attitude and unwillingness to embrace minority factions and their criticism, the party’s reform efforts have resonated little with the party members, supporters and the general public.
Moon and Kim Sang-kon must heed those who say the panel is not reforming but ruining the party. Only last week two more former lawmakers bolted from the party and a three-term lawmaker has hinted at following suit and creating a new opposition party. The talk of a September crisis in the NPAD is gaining momentum.
