Assembly speaker threatens to resign over stalled budget
Published: 28 Dec. 2009, 00:46
With four working days left in the year 2009, ruling and opposition parties have yet to pass the budget bill for next year, and the stalemate prompted the National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o to threaten to resign unless the bill is passed this year.
In a statement issued yesterday, Kim said he would take responsibility if the ruling and opposition parties fail to pass the budget bill, and urged chairs and floor leaders of the parties to follow suit.
“If the budget bill isn’t passed within this calendar year, this unprecedented incident would mean that the National Assembly has stopped functioning and that it has caused a grave national crisis,” Kim said through the release. “The National Assembly Speaker and the party leadership can’t avoid taking responsibility.”
Kim charged that hardliners within the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party have blocked “opportunities for dialogue and restricted parliamentary democracy” to cause the deadlock.
“No national task is more urgent than the budget,” Kim added. “The party leaders must put their jobs on the line to try to reach a compromise.”
The government has slated 291.8 trillion won ($248.9 billion) for next year’s budget, but the sticking point has been an allocation of what amounts to only a fraction of the entire budget.
The government plans to set aside 80 billion won for the state-run Korea Water Resources Corporation in relation to the disputed four rivers development project. Under the current plan, the corporation is slated to spend 3.2 trillion won on the project next year, and the 80 billion won has been designed to cover the interest for the corporation’s investment in 2010.
The DP has called for the elimination of that 80 billion won from the budget bill and has physically obstructed approval of the current budget draft by occupying the budget committee conference room.
President Lee Myung-bak has said if the legislature fails to pass the budget bill this year, he will call an emergency cabinet meeting to implement provisional budgets. Though introduced in 1960, provisional budgets have never been used. The system would allow the government to spend the minimum amount deemed necessary to run the nation.
The ruling Grand National Party, meanwhile, may still decide to push the budget bill forward and pass it unilaterally. Voting sessions at the National Assembly are scheduled for Dec. 29 to 31. The GNP move would likely draw an even more physical challenge from the Democratic Party.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
In a statement issued yesterday, Kim said he would take responsibility if the ruling and opposition parties fail to pass the budget bill, and urged chairs and floor leaders of the parties to follow suit.
“If the budget bill isn’t passed within this calendar year, this unprecedented incident would mean that the National Assembly has stopped functioning and that it has caused a grave national crisis,” Kim said through the release. “The National Assembly Speaker and the party leadership can’t avoid taking responsibility.”
Kim charged that hardliners within the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party have blocked “opportunities for dialogue and restricted parliamentary democracy” to cause the deadlock.
“No national task is more urgent than the budget,” Kim added. “The party leaders must put their jobs on the line to try to reach a compromise.”
The government has slated 291.8 trillion won ($248.9 billion) for next year’s budget, but the sticking point has been an allocation of what amounts to only a fraction of the entire budget.
The government plans to set aside 80 billion won for the state-run Korea Water Resources Corporation in relation to the disputed four rivers development project. Under the current plan, the corporation is slated to spend 3.2 trillion won on the project next year, and the 80 billion won has been designed to cover the interest for the corporation’s investment in 2010.
The DP has called for the elimination of that 80 billion won from the budget bill and has physically obstructed approval of the current budget draft by occupying the budget committee conference room.
President Lee Myung-bak has said if the legislature fails to pass the budget bill this year, he will call an emergency cabinet meeting to implement provisional budgets. Though introduced in 1960, provisional budgets have never been used. The system would allow the government to spend the minimum amount deemed necessary to run the nation.
The ruling Grand National Party, meanwhile, may still decide to push the budget bill forward and pass it unilaterally. Voting sessions at the National Assembly are scheduled for Dec. 29 to 31. The GNP move would likely draw an even more physical challenge from the Democratic Party.
By Yoo Jee-ho [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)