Internal strife concerns

The Grand National Party is sharply divided over the party’s nominations for the legislative elections, and this bickering is worrying the people of this country.
Half a month has passed since the GNP won the presidential election and less than 10 days since the party started work on the transition of power. The party should be concentrating on drawing up blueprints for managing the country for the next five years, but instead senior party members have locked horns.
These party members will be fighting for their political lives in the upcoming elections, so divisions in the ranks are more visible now that the presidential election is over.
The supporters of President-elect Lee Myung-bak and former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye must understand that the nation is uneasy about the way the party is fighting itself. They want the problems resolved quickly.
The people around Park harbor unreasonable fears. They say Lee’s people are trying to delay the nominations for the general elections and are deeply aggravated that there might not be enough time for party members who fail to secure a nomination to lodge a complaint. They think Lee’s people could eliminate many of Park’s people.
But as GNP Chairman Kang Jae-seop said, these concerns would evaporate if a neutral committee for party nominations was formed, which would be in accordance with the party constitution. Therefore, Park’s people shouldn’t worry unnecessarily and they should be flexible about the timing of nominations.
Park said the nominations should be publicized in early February, as was the case four years ago. But the timing is not stated in the law; it’s now a matter of compromise.
Lee’s people must show that they abide by principles. The party regulation states that the power inside the party and the power in the administration must be separated.
A president-elect or a president must not interfere with party affairs such as nominations.
As for the nomination process, Kang’s argument is persuasive. He said the president-elect should not influence the nominations, and the timing of the announcement of nominations should be decided with prudence.
The party will soon form a planning team for the legislative elections and decide the rules for nominations. If all party members abide by principles and make wise compromises, they can overcome this crisis.