Ruling Side Members Blame Each Other for Recent Incidents

“You should take responsibility for them.”

Although some allegations, including the matter of supporting Haengdam Island Development Project, have been emerging one after another, the ruling sides are “blaming each other for them.” They are accusing each other, saying, “He or she is the cause of our troubles,” rather than making an effort to put this current crisis that has been spreading throughout the entire ruling party and government under control by crying, “It is my fault.” An official of the ruling sides expressed his concern over the situation by saying, “If the current situation continues, “a lame duck” might begin in earnest.”

Cheong Wa Dae and the Government Should Take Responsibility-

During a ruling Uri Party workshop attended by its party members and central committee members held at the Muju Resort in Jeonbuk Province on May 30 and 31, there were many views denouncing Cheong Wa Dae and the government. This is because even though the ruling Uri Party has been excluded from the process of deciding major policies, it has no alternative but to take responsibility for them.

In the workshop, a first-term lawmaker representing the metropolitan area raised his voice saying, “It is necessary to reform a great deal of the presidential committees and Cheong Wa Dae secretaries in order to take responsibility for recent incidents.” Rep. Kang Gi-jeong also denounced the government, saying, “If there are some cases to convey our views to the government, we should convey our opinions firmly to it and not be followed by it.”

In particular, lawmakers raised an objection over the practice that while Cheong Wa Dae and the government have taken the lead in planning policies, they have passed the buck of passage of bills alone to the Uri Party. Actually, regarding the recently announced measures, including a measure on self-employment businesses, the government has reportedly not made preliminary consultations with the Uri Party.

During an extended executives meeting on June 1, Lee Mi-kyung, a central committee member of the Uri Party, criticized, “The ruling party and government consultative meeting has been merely a formality over bills that the government planned to pass.” A first-term lawmaker also made a complaint, saying, “The Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform, while excluding lawmakers who can deal with a bill, it is forcing us to pass bills drawn up by it unconditionally,” adding, “After Cheong Wa Dae planned major policies, we have just implemented them.”

The Presidential Committees Should Take Responsibility for It-

The governmental execution bodies also are grumbling at this situation. They feel that they have been left out of deciding major policies. This is because while Cheong Wa Dae and the Presidential Advisory Committees have led the planning of major policies, they have been excluded from it.

It is true that the government’s major projects, including the administrative-focused complex city construction, the relocation of public organizations to local provinces, and the southwestern coastal area development project (S project), have been led by the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development and the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative. An official of the governmental ministries revealed his complaint, saying, “Despite the fact that the presidential committees have launched these projects, we have to wrap up all of them.”

In particular, while some allegations, including the Russian Oil Field Development Project led by the Korea Railroad, and the Haengdam Island Development Project led by the Korea Highway Corporation, are coming out, and some point out that the Ministry of Construction and Transportation (MOCT) should take responsibility for them, officials of the MOCT grumbled, saying, “Given that we have done nothing, why do they blame us for these incidents?”

Cheong Wa Dae and the Presidential Advisory Committees: Why Do They Denounce Us?-

Cheong Wa Dae and the presidential advisory committees are also chagrined at the current situation. They point out that it is not proper to ask us to take responsibility for these incidents unconditionally without knowing the truth.

During a morning meeting attended by presidential secretariat members on June 1, Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Woo-sik revealed his complaint, saying, “Despite the fact that we have not intervened in detailed matters, if an incident occurs, it is eventually unavoidable that the buck will be passed to us.”

Yeon-WookJung jyw11@donga.com