The major opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy voted for Rep. Moon Jae-in, the party’s presidential contender in 2012, as the party chairman Sunday.
Seen as representing the Roh faction within the party, which is divided into several rival parties, Moon fought a close race with Rep. Park Jie-won, a veteran politician and close confidant of the late President Kim Dae-jung, winning 45.3 percent of the votes.
Moon will lead the party over the next two years as it tries to make a comeback in next year’s parliamentary election after suffering successive election defeats. The by-elections slated for April will be the first test of Moon to lead the party to an election victory.
Following his win, Moon declared, “I will start an all-out war against the Park Geun-hye administration if (it keeps) destroying democracy and the middle-class economy.” Yet, the NPAD’s failures as the major opposition party are, to some degree, responsible for the floundering of the Park administration. In the absence of a strong and competent opposition, the Park administration has been allowed to pursue its policies unchecked and unhampered. Indeed, a weak and divided opposition party can contribute little to the country.
Moon’s most urgent task, then, is to bring together the numerous factions within the party. Moon should exercise an inclusive type of leadership ― one that surpasses factional differences. The non-Roh factions should also unite in rallying around the leader the party has chosen. One of the major reasons for the NPAD’s low approval ratings and election defeats is the constant squabbling among its different factions. A while ago, the people declared, “Enough already.” The party should respond to the public’s concerns by taking the opportunity afforded by the new leadership and reinventing itself as a political party that can be a partner in the running of the country.
In a symbolic move, Moon began his first workday as chairman by paying respects at the graves of presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee, the first such visit by an opposition chief. The plan to visit the National Cemetery was announced on Sunday with Moon acknowledging Park’s contributions to Korea’s industrialization and Rhee’s contributions to the founding of the Republic of Korea. Moon added that he hoped to put an end to the division of public opinion through paying respects to the two former presidents. Both Rhee and Park are disdained by the majority of progressives for their authoritarian rules.
Despite Moon’s well-intentioned move, the difficulties he faces in uniting the party were laid bare when the party’s new supreme council members did not join Moon in paying respects at the graves of the two former presidents, protesting Moon’s decision to do so.
Moon must succeed in creating a united party, one that is capable of keeping the government in check and providing alternative policies. A strong and capable opposition party is imperative for a well-functioning democracy.
