The PPP must focus on rebuilding public trust
Published: 19 Dec. 2024, 20:50
The People Power Party (PPP) has failed to establish an emergency leadership team following the mass resignation of former leader Han Dong-hoon and other executives after the president’s disastrous martial law attempt. Among the candidates to fill the leadership void are lawmakers who served multiple terms and opposed the legislative motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol — legislators who notably abstained from the Dec. 3 vote to life the martial law order. The party’s actions indicate a troubling disregard for public sentiment in the wake of the president’s ill-advised move.
PPP members have only deepened public anger and disappointment with their response — or lack thereof — on the night of the martial law declaration and its aftermath. Most members were conspicuously absent from the National Assembly during the military raid. While Speaker Woo Won-shik and opposition lawmakers defied police blockades and scaled assembly walls to cast their votes, PPP lawmakers chose to remain on the sidelines. They walked out during the first impeachment vote and later lashed out at colleagues who supported the second motion, accusing them of betraying the party and the president.
Recent polling underscores the public’s dissatisfaction. A Gallup Korea survey reveals that 75 percent of respondents support Yoon’s impeachment, with only 21 percent in opposition. The PPP, ostensibly a bastion of conservative values, is alienating its base by ignoring the overwhelming sentiment. Among self-identified conservatives, 51 percent viewed the declaration of martial law as an act of insurrection. Even among die-hard PPP supporters, only 22 percent defended the president’s actions.
The PPP’s approval rating has nose-dived to a historic low of 24 percent since Yoon’s administration began. Instead of expanding its support base in anticipation of a possible snap presidential election — should the Constitutional Court uphold Yoon’s impeachment — the party is driving away conservative voters. Yoon loyalists within the PPP, intent on purging members who supported impeachment, are mirroring the efforts of the Democratic Party (DP) to protect Lee Jae-myung by sidelining internal critics. Has the PPP overlooked the more than 7,000 members who renounced their party affiliation after the martial law debacle?
This tone-deafness has drawn sharp criticism from former party figures. Yoo Seung-min, a former PPP lawmaker, denounced the party for “clinging to the missteps of the past.” Another former member, Kim Young-woo, remarked that the PPP’s response is “even more shocking than the martial law declaration itself.”
Rather than engaging in divisive internal feuds, the party must prioritize rebuilding public trust. Yoon, who previously pledged to accept legal accountability, is now refusing to cooperate with investigative authorities. Simultaneously, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong is blocking efforts to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court bench, thereby delaying the impeachment trial process. Does the party truly believe it can navigate this crisis while openly flouting constitutional and legal principles?
The PPP must unite its members, including those who supported impeachment, and focus on crafting policies that resonate with the public. Even Seoul and Incheon mayors, both PPP members, have expressed support for impeachment. The party’s future is bleak if it continues to be led solely by those opposing impeachment.
PPP members have only deepened public anger and disappointment with their response — or lack thereof — on the night of the martial law declaration and its aftermath. Most members were conspicuously absent from the National Assembly during the military raid. While Speaker Woo Won-shik and opposition lawmakers defied police blockades and scaled assembly walls to cast their votes, PPP lawmakers chose to remain on the sidelines. They walked out during the first impeachment vote and later lashed out at colleagues who supported the second motion, accusing them of betraying the party and the president.
Recent polling underscores the public’s dissatisfaction. A Gallup Korea survey reveals that 75 percent of respondents support Yoon’s impeachment, with only 21 percent in opposition. The PPP, ostensibly a bastion of conservative values, is alienating its base by ignoring the overwhelming sentiment. Among self-identified conservatives, 51 percent viewed the declaration of martial law as an act of insurrection. Even among die-hard PPP supporters, only 22 percent defended the president’s actions.
The PPP’s approval rating has nose-dived to a historic low of 24 percent since Yoon’s administration began. Instead of expanding its support base in anticipation of a possible snap presidential election — should the Constitutional Court uphold Yoon’s impeachment — the party is driving away conservative voters. Yoon loyalists within the PPP, intent on purging members who supported impeachment, are mirroring the efforts of the Democratic Party (DP) to protect Lee Jae-myung by sidelining internal critics. Has the PPP overlooked the more than 7,000 members who renounced their party affiliation after the martial law debacle?
This tone-deafness has drawn sharp criticism from former party figures. Yoo Seung-min, a former PPP lawmaker, denounced the party for “clinging to the missteps of the past.” Another former member, Kim Young-woo, remarked that the PPP’s response is “even more shocking than the martial law declaration itself.”
Rather than engaging in divisive internal feuds, the party must prioritize rebuilding public trust. Yoon, who previously pledged to accept legal accountability, is now refusing to cooperate with investigative authorities. Simultaneously, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong is blocking efforts to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court bench, thereby delaying the impeachment trial process. Does the party truly believe it can navigate this crisis while openly flouting constitutional and legal principles?
The PPP must unite its members, including those who supported impeachment, and focus on crafting policies that resonate with the public. Even Seoul and Incheon mayors, both PPP members, have expressed support for impeachment. The party’s future is bleak if it continues to be led solely by those opposing impeachment.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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