Both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party committed themselves to upholding preset criteria when they started screening applicants for parliamentary nomination last month.
But the processes are so ridden by factional strife that many applicants have threatened to run in the elections as independents if they fail to win nomination. Claiming that the processes are biased against them, they are revolting against party leaders and other powerful figures that are suspected of pressuring the screening committees to nominate those close to them.
A case in point was a halt in the nomination process at the Democratic United Party. In suspending the process temporarily on Thursday, Kang Chul-kyu, nomination committee chairman, demanded senior officials of the party stop meddling in the screening process.
He accused the party leaders of attempting to advance their own interests at the expense of the people’s desire for political reform. He said, “The Democratic United Party should not forget the desire of people for a political reform. It needs to return to what it set its sights on at the outset.”
Han Myeong-sook, chairwoman of the party, promised to accept Kang’s demands, saying that she and other party leaders would keep a low profile in the screening process. Despite her promise, the conflict over nominations among different factions is not expected to die down anytime soon. A factional group of applicants denied nomination is threatening to create a party-like alliance with other unsuccessful applicants.
The situation is little better at the Saenuri Party, which is afflicted with antipathy the faction of party leader Park Geun-hye and that of President Lee Myung-bak hold for each other. Kim Jong-in, a key member of the party’s decision-making committee, threatened to resign in protest against the re-nomination of Rep. Lee Jae-oh, a member of President Lee’s inner circle.
Many of those close to President Lee, who have been or most likely will be denied nomination, are threatening to run as independents or join a new conservative party. They include a former leader of the party, who said, “It would be unfair should the party decide not to nominate me. If so, I would seriously consider running as an independent.”
But factions in the two parties will be held accountable for the wrong moves they make. They should be reminded that the ultimate power lies with voters, who will make a final decision at the polls.
