Yoon should stop meddling in party chairman election
It is a pity that the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has been entangled in severe in-house disputes ahead of the March 8 national convention to pick a new party leader. The presidential office and some close confidants of President Yoon Suk Yeol are taking flak for desperately mustering support behind Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, regarded as the pro-Yoon candidate, against stalwart rival Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo.
The presidential office cannot deflect criticism for meddling in the leadership contest despite the need to remain neutral, thus infringing upon the principle of party democracy. For starters, in apparent political revenge, the office dismissed former Rep. Kim Young-woo, who is heading Ahn's election campaign, from his post as a member of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesion.
Some media outlets quoted presidential office staff as saying that "Rep. Ahn is not pro-Yoon." They even described Ahn as an "enemy" and "barricader" impeding state administration by attempting to disparage Yoon using the expression, "Yoon haek gwan," referring to some key associates of the president within the PPP. Such moves defy an earlier pledge of neutrality made in the lead-up to the party convention.
Adding fuel to the conflict, on Monday, senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Jin-bok took aim at Ahn. "It is totally wrong (for Ahn) to put himself on an equal footing with the president," he told PPP leader Chung Jin-suk. Lee added that Ahn had crossed the line and disparaged the president by highlighting the "Yoon-Ahn" alliance and saying he joined the PPP as a result of his support for Yoon during the presidential election.
Rep. Ahn expressed regret. "If President Yoon was disappointed, it may be because he misunderstood what I said," Ahn said. He previously stated that ordinary party members were deeply disappointed with the ongoing conflicts within the party. Yoon's associates have already come under growing criticism for allegedly coercing former lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Yoo Seong-min, both of whom were dubbed anti-Yoon, to drop out of the party leadership race.
Yoon vented his anger at Na by sacking her from the post as the vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, prompting her to give up her bid for the party leadership. Earlier, Yoon also had the party adopt a regulation requiring 100 percent of votes from party members for the selection of the new leader in order to deter Yoo, who was enjoying strong support from non-party ordinary citizens.
The collective offensive against Ahn started when he began to beat Kim in diverse public surveys, after Yoo and Na dropped out of the race. A recent Realmeter poll for the first week of February showed Ahn securing 43.3 percent of support, defeating Kim who received 36 percent.
Given this, it is natural for some critics to cast skepticism over the necessity of the party convention, which costs a lot of money to hold. They say it would be better for Yoon to pick the next party chairman instead of convening an open contest. The PPP wrapped up receiving applications from candidates.
The national party convention should be a stage where candidates present future policy visions. It has already become a dirty race to garner Yoon's support. The president should realize that he could find himself further distanced from the people unless he stops meddling in party affairs.
This is well proven by the result of a recent Gallup Korea survey which shows Yoon's approval rating stalled at the lower band of 30 percent. Yoon needs to take a good look at himself and exercise more political prowess to embrace his potential adversaries. That is the way for him to ensure success in the general elections next year and remain a successful head of state. Ahn, Kim and other candidates should also be able to unveil their own policy visions to engage in fair and just competition ahead of the ruling party convention.
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