The legislative deadlock at the National Assembly stemming from the rival parties’ standoff over the Blue House document leak and influence-peddling scandal is raising concerns as its monthlong extraordinary session is coming to an end.
A bigger cause for concern is that the dissolution of the Unified Progressive Party may make it more difficult for the parties to return the parliament to normal although there are many legislative agenda items pending in the Assembly.
Urgent parliamentary concerns include legislation of the three bills aimed at boosting the real estate market and the establishment of a parliamentary committee and a panel to find a grand social compromise on reforming pensions for government workers.
Also high on the list is the launch of a parliamentary investigation into the overseas resources development projects implemented during the Lee Myung-bak administration.
The rival parties cannot avoid criticism for dragging their feet on these important legislative agenda because of their different positions on the Blue House scandal involving the leak of internal documents and alleged influence-peddling by President Park Geun-hye’s former and current aides.
A larger share of the blame should go to the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy for tying the scandal to the operation of some parliamentary committees.
There are grounds for criticizing Park and her aides’ handling of the scandal, but it is wrong for the party to impede parliamentary work for that reason only.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling to dissolve the UPP due to its pro-North Korean policies certainly put the NPAD on the defensive because it once made an election alliance with the leftist party. Yet, it does not sound sensible for it to insist that the court made the ruling to divert public attention from the Blue House scandal.
It is also wrong for the party to side with those who question the Constitutional Court’s decision to deprive five UPP members of their parliamentary seats.
In the same vein, the ruling party would do well not to bring up the UPP issue in dealing with the NPAD while discussing legislative business. The Blue House scandal and the disbandment of the UPP have little to do with the parliament’s tasks.
