Published : Sept. 30, 2015 - 18:03
The presidential office on Wednesday expressed strong opposition to the bipartisan agreement on a new nomination process for next year’s general election, signaling a full-fledged power struggle between the ruling party’s chairman and the president.
Cheong Wa Dae, flip-flopping from its earlier position of “no comment,” said later in the day that the revised open primary system for the nomination of the parliamentary race would distort public sentiment.
“There are a number of concerns surrounding the new system. First off, whether or not it can accurately reflect the public’s opinion,” a high-ranking official from Cheong Wa Dae told reporters.
Kim Moo-sung and Moon Jae-in ― leaders of ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy ― had agreed Monday to introduce the “secure number” public nomination system, a variation of open primary that is designed to avert vote-rigging. An open primary allows voters not affiliated with a political party to participate but its critics say it has many side effects such as voters backing weak candidates for parties they are against.
Saenuri leader Kim Moo-sung (right) speaks with Rep. Won Yoo-chul during the ruling party`s general assembly held at the National Assembly on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
The new system will have telecom operators create disposable phone numbers for voters, which are distributed for the parties. The parties would contact the voters on the phone, ask which party they back to eliminate supporters of opposing parties, and collect their vote.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Cheong Wa Dae official said the presidential office felt the need to voice concerns over the system that has been sugar-coated as an advisable alternative.
“We already know from experience that the results of opinion polls via phone are fundamentally different from the actual results,” he said, pointing out that the average response rate for the phone polls is south of 2 percent. The official added that using “the secure numbers” would not be sufficient to protect the identity of the voter in smaller constituencies.
The point-by-point criticism came after Kim told reporters that the introduction of this new system does not require the approval of the presidential office since it is a mere technicality. While presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook declined to formally comment on the matter, other Cheong Wa Dae officials have criticized Kim for touching off the politically sensitive issue during President Park Geun-hye’s visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
The move came amid speculation that Cheong Wa Dae is keeping a check on Kim, who has been enjoying high approval rating as the potential next presidential candidate until a recent scandal involving his son-in-law’s conviction for drug abuse.
Kim made an equally strong rebuttal against the Blue House, saying a presidential official “should not insult a party leader” and told the pro-Park faction not to attack him, saying he “has limits.”
Kim reacted to Cheong Wa Dae’s criticism during his party’s general assembly later in the day, saying that all but one of its claims ― the part about average response rate for the phone polls being low ― were incorrect. He reportedly said the standoff was caused by a “misunderstanding” over technical aspects of the new system.
The general assembly adjourned without reaching a decision on the issue.
Kim, considered a “non-Park” member, had often butted heads with the pro-Park faction, but has also worked in cooperation with Park, particularly during her presidential campaign as the director of her campaign headquarters in 2012.
Park and Kim have generally maintained rigid yet polite relations, especially after the summer carnage that ultimately reinstated the president’s presence in the ruling party. Park had lashed out against the party leadership for dillydallying on her reform initiatives, leading to the resignation of then-floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min.
Implementing open primaries has been one of Kim’s major political platforms, but the pro-Park faction has been claiming Kim’s true aim is to widen his political clout. They upped the attack after the bipartisan agreement by accusing the Saenuri leader of “giving in” to NPAD demands.
Park loyalists and Kim reportedly collided head on during a closed-door meeting of Saenuri lawmakers Wednesday morning.
“Put aside the factional dispute. How can an agreement with an opposition leader without any discussion or consultation with party members be considered democratic?” Rep. Lee Jung-hyun said, adding that each party should decide on which system to adopt for its nomination process.
Kim has denied accusations that he caved in to the NPAD’s demands and claimed that the new plan is a “completely different one” from what the opposition had proposed. He did vow to hold additional talks within the party, saying that the agreement with Moon was not a final decision.
The Kim-Moon agreement was a contentious issue among the opposition lawmakers as well, with the nonmainstream NPAD members questioning its effectiveness.
Senior lawmaker Park Jie-won tweeted that he agreed with involving the public in the primary but was against using the “secure numbers.” Rep. Song Ho-chang said using an opinion poll to nominate candidates for the election “defies the basic principles of democracy.”
By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)