Ahn’s vision for political party blasted by Saenuri

Just a day after independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo unveiled a set of policy drives and principles that his envisioned party would adhere to, the ruling Saenuri Party rushed to criticize him and his political group, calling his vision a disappointing “copycat of old-fashioned politics.”

Pointing to Ahn’s policy blueprint, Choi Kyung-hwan, the floor leader of the Saenuri, said Ahn’s plan contained nothing new or specific and that his policy drives were utterly ambiguous.

“Ahn has demonstrated a limit [in his capability as a politician]. He is still pursuing politics based on his vague image, with a political commentator-like approach,” Choi said during a party leadership meeting yesterday at the National Assembly, adding that the substance in Ahn’s political outline was so vague that he couldn’t even understand it.

“History has proven that a political party wholly dependent on one leader cannot survive.

Without presenting real political platforms and resorting to recruiting old-time political figures already abandoned by their established parties, he is setting up his party to be judged.”

The harsh assessments by the ruling party yesterday came a day after Ahn’s political group, the New Politics Promotion Committee, announced policy directives that Ahn’s envisioned party will supposedly adopt in the future.

Under the policy guidelines that were promoted on Tuesday, Ahn’s committee defined three major principles for his “new politics,” which include “a just society” free of discrimination where fair business practices are ensured; “social integration,” where there are no regional, ideological and generational conflicts; and “peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

On dealing with North Korea, Ahn’s group said political parties should work together to come to a consensus, approved by the general public, on aiding the reclusive state on humanitarian grounds.

The committee said such humanitarian aid provided by Seoul should be distributed to those in need in the Communist North in a transparent way - an approach also demanded by conservatives.

Response from the opposition Democratic Party was also lukewarm yesterday. Political heavyweight Moon Jae-in said in a radio interview with CBS yesterday that preparations taken by Ahn’s committee so far for the local elections are “not that different” from the way business is done by the DP.

BY KANG JIN-KYU [jkkang2@joongang.co.kr]