DP's prosecution bill shenanigans denounced by some in DP

Politics

Published: 21 Apr. 2022, 18:50 Updated: 21 Apr. 2022, 18:59

DP's prosecution bill shenanigans denounced by some in DP

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) deputy floor leader Song Eon-seog, right, paid a protest visit to the office of the Judiciary and Legislation Committee Chairman Park Kwang-on at the National Assembly on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is being heavily criticized, even by its own members, for orchestrating a defection to tip the scales in a committee reviewing the prosecution reform bill.

Its complex maneuvering to short-circuit checks and balances has been denounced as a trick and as an affront to democracy.

Lawmaker Min Hyung-bae has been picked to serve on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary committee, which is currently overseeing the bill, after quitting the DP on Wednesday.

On paper, Min will become one of two independents in the 18-member committee, although he is expected to vote in favor of the DP's agenda. Ten members are from the DP and six are from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

His vote could alter the balance of power in a 6-member subcommittee, to which the bill will be kicked.

The move to place Min as an independent on the key committee was denounced by parties on both sides of the political aisle as an "affront to democracy" and an "outlandish deception."

DP lawmaker Kim Byung-wook, who has been eyed as a potential successor to the Gyeonggi gubernatorial post vacated by former DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, criticized the manoeuver and the DP's drive to pass the reform bill. He announced Thursday he would not be running in the June local government election.

This bill "is a singular manifestation of the kind of hypocrisy, political trickery and self-serving politics our party has criticized in the past," Kim wrote in a scathing internet post. "It is an affront to democracy."

Freshman DP lawmaker Park Yong-jin also criticized the means by which his party is attempting to railroad the bill through the National Assembly.

"At first, they failed to enlist the Justice Party, so then they tried to recruit Yang Hyang-ja's support but failed, so now they are using Min Hyung-bae to pass the bill through the agenda coordination subcommittee," Park said of the DP. "It's not a clever move, but a trick."

After progress on the bill stalled in the legislative review subcommittee due to stiff opposition from the PPP, the ruling party on Wednesday began to form a six-member ad-hoc agenda coordination subcommittee to accelerate its passage through the committee stage.

Under the current composition of the Legislation and Judiciary committee, the agenda coordination subcommittee should include three members from the DP, two from the PPP and one independent.

The judiciary committee chairman can name Min as the independent to join the agenda subcommittee, thereby increasing the DP's effective majority in the subcommittee from three to four against PPP's two.

Legislation approved by the agenda coordination subcommittee with at least two-thirds support is forwarded to the Legislation and Judiciary committee, where it is likely to pass due to the DP's majority and proceed to a vote by the whole legislature.

Since the 2012 revision of the National Assembly Act — also known as the National Assembly Advancement Act — proposed legislation must enjoy broader support at the committee stage than previously required in order to proceed to a full floor vote.

The purpose of the amendment was to encourage consensus-building among lawmakers and give greater representation to minor parties and independents.

PPP lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom blasted the DP as undermining parliamentary reform itself by placing Min on the committee.

"The DP has undermined the purpose of the agenda coordination committee, which is to take the opinion of the minority party into account," Yoo said.

The minor progressive Justice Party, which has often sided with the ruling DP on previous legislation, described Min's departure from the DP and his nomination to the judiciary committee immediately afterwards as an "act of terrorism against democracy."

"All reforms, including adjustments to the prosecution's investigative powers, should be for the people, but the DP appears to be pushing it forward according to their own liking and timing for bewildering reasons," Justice Party spokesman Jang Tae-soo said at a press briefing on Thursday.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]