The ruling Saenuri Party has elected Yoo Seong-min floor leader, filling the two top party posts ― party chairmanship and floor leadership ― with lawmakers who are widely regarded as not being part of the Park Geun-hye faction within the party. Yoo, who served as Park’s chief of staff in 2005 when she was the head of Grand National Party, is openly critical of the current government’s policies and power structure within the Blue House.
The race for the floor leader was expected to be a close one, but when the votes were counted, it became clear where the Saenuri Party lawmakers stood. Yoo, a three-term legislator, received 84 votes, while his rival Lee Ju-young, a pro-Park four-term legislator who resigned as Maritime Minister in December, received 65 votes: Saenuri Party lawmakers want reform. Yoo, in turn, said during his acceptance speech that he would seek a realignment of the party’s relationship with the Blue House, portending changes.
The Park Geun-hye administration has been assailed by its critics and supporters alike in recent weeks, as illustrated by last week’s Gallup Poll, which showed Park’s approval rating at 29 percent. This is the lowest approval rating for Park since she assumed office in February 2013.
The public backlash over the tax settlement scheme, postponing of the national health insurance reform ― the postponement plan was overturned on Tuesday ― plans to renege on the free child care promise, and the recent Blue House reshuffle that failed to meet expectations have all contributed to the drop in support for Park.
Political pundits also blame Park’s lack of communication for her present predicament ― a number of Park’s key policies were withdrawn following fierce public opposition. Park’s misplaced sense of loyalty to her three powerful secretaries, interpreted as stubbornness or unwillingness to listen to others, and shortcomings in personnel appointments have also caused her popularity to plummet.
“Welfare without tax hikes is impossible and it isn’t right for a politician to deceive the public with such words,” Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung said in his address to the National Assembly on Tuesday. While he later explained that his comments were a general observation, they were clearly aimed at Park who, during her presidential campaign in 2012, promised expanded welfare programs without tax increases.
Saenuri Party has sent a clear signal that it is distancing itself from Park and her presidency. Political parties’ raison d’etre is to win elections and the ruling party will not hesitate to ditch Park if she is seen as standing in the way of success in next year’s general election and the 2017 presidential election. This would mean the beginning of a lame duck presidency.
With no major election taking place in 2015, this may very well be the last year that Park can implement her policies without much hindrance. Now in the third year of her five-year term, it is too early for Park to become a lame duck president.
The Blue House should heed the Saenuri Party’s call for reform. If the president will not listen to the ruling party, who will she listen to?
