Composition of National Assembly Leadership Face Difficulties

Even the selection date (May 25) of the leadership and the standing committee members for the second session of the 16th National Assembly remains only five days, the Grand National Party (GNP) and the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) are unable to even try to negotiate on the issue. This is because the concept of the ruling and the opposition camps has disappeared with the party desertion of Present Kim Dae-Jung

The GNP claims that it should exercise `the majority party rights` as the parliamentary scheme changed to the majority and minority structure, but the MDP asserts it is the `de-facto ruling party.`

Especially the MDP and the Union of Liberal Democrats (ULD) demand the parliamentary composition should be delayed until after the June 13. local elections as both parties claim they can not negotiate with the GNP, for the parliamentary seat distribution is fluid with the party desertion of Rep. Ham Seok-Jae caused by the `a tactic of taking out the representatives` by the GNP. This will surely bring a show of raw powers among the three parties.

An alliance of MDP-ULD: Fist of all the MDP would not budge in yielding the chairmanship of the parliament. Additionally, it also has position not to yield essential standing committee chairmanships of the ways and means committee and the steering committee. MDP maintains a strategy of taking over the chairmanship and the seat of the chairman of the steering committee by establishing a cooperative alliance with the ULD with the allowance for the parliament vice chairmanship to the ULD. For the parliamentary chairman, Kim Young-Bae, Cho Sun-Hyung, and Kim Won-Ki are being mentioned. However, as the combined number of parliament seats of the MDP and ULD is short of the GNP, the prospect of the idea is not so bright.

GNP: The GNP has a plan to take not only the parliamentary chairmanship regarded as the prey of the ruling party in the past, but also the chairs of the major standing committees. The GNP is urging an early-negotiated decision following the clauses of the Parliamentary Act, which mandates the selection of parliamentary leadership till May 25 and of the chairs of the standing committees till May 29.

GNP new floor leader Lee Kyu-Taek said, `I will discuss the matter with Chung Kyun-Hwan, the floor leader of MDP on May 20,` but draw a line; `The claim to compose the parliamentary leadership after the local elections is out of the common sense.`

The GNP calculates, as the current party seats are 133 and, when Rep. Ham Seok-Jae and another possible desertion are added, that it may secure the majority enough to secure the chairmanship. Names such as Rep. Park Kwan-Yong as a candidate for the chairman and Rep. Chung Chang-Hwa as the vice-chairman are raised.

Young-Hae Choi Sung-Won Park yhchoi65@donga.com swpark@donga.com