About 20 to 30 Uri lawmakers are going to desert their party collectively. Their decision comes as no surprise, but it is pathetic that those who leave their party in order to extend their political lives are now acting as if they were patriots, claiming that their determination is only for national salvation. In addition, they even set a date for their so-called 'a save-the-nation event' and attract other party defectors giving them plausible reasons for their withdrawal. Ironically, the lawmakers who were floor leaders or chief policymakers only a few days ago are now going around the Members´ Office Building to persuade other lawmakers to break with their party as part of their effort to form a parliamentary negotiating bloc, while a new floor leader is taking measures to induce lawmakers to stay in the party. When the things have come to such a pass, the ruling Uri Party is hard to be seen as a political party.
It is reported that those who plan to withdraw from the Uri Party set the internal policy guidelines, which ruled out people who are too progressive or reform-minded, claiming that they lean toward middle-of-the-road pragmatism and reform. For recent years, they were the ones who controlled vested interests as representatives of the ruling party which fancied itself to be a new and reform driven party, but they are now blaming certain figures within the party for their reform drives when the party suffers a political crisis like this. That is exactly opportunistic behavior to shift all responsibilities for the ruling party's failure onto the remaining lawmakers, instead of sharing the responsibility with them. Although they actually leave the party for their own political ambition, they justify themselves with good reasons, talking about new politics. However, They should know that people only become disillusioned about such impudent behavior.
We are relieved to see Uri lawmaker Chung Deok-gu show his responsible stance by resigning his National Assembly seat. If they do not have courage to give up lawmaker status like Chung, they should at least stop deceiving people with all sorts of flowery words and devote themselves to stabilizing the living quality. There are concerns that public welfare might be laid aside during the special Assembly session starting today, due to the ruling party lawmakers' power struggles. Both Ruling and opposition lawmakers now should abandon their presidential ambitions and come up with some measures to stabilize the people´s livelihood.
후안무치한 여 의원들의 집단 탈당
열린우리당 의원 20∼30명이 조만간 집단 탈당할 것이라고 한다. 탈당 자체야 놀랄 일도 아니지만, 정치 생명을 연명하기 위해 도망치듯 당을 뛰쳐나가는 사람들이 구국의 결단이라도 하는 양 그럴듯한 명분을 내세우고 ‘거사일’까지 정해 탈당 의원들을 끌어 모으는 쇼를 하고 있으니 한심하다. 불과 며칠 전까지 원내대표와 정책위의장을 지낸 의원들은 교섭단체 구성을 목표로 정해놓고 의원회관을 돌아다니며 탈당 서명을 받고 새 원내대표는 “지금은 탈당할 때가 아니라 뭉칠 때”라고 탈당을 만류하고 있으니, 이쯤되면 정당이라고 부르기조차 민망하다.
이번에 탈당하겠다는 의원들은 중도실용과 중도개혁을 지향한다며 “지나치게 급진적이거나 개혁적 성향의 인물들은 배제한다”는 내부 지침을 정했다고 한다. 그동안 개혁정당을 자처한 여당의 의원으로서 온갖 기득권을 누리다 이제 와서 성향을 문제 삼아 특정 인사들을 보이콧하겠다는 것은 누워서 침뱉기다. 여당 실패에 대해 책임지기는커녕 당 잔류 의원들에게 모든 책임을 떠넘기려는 전형적인 기회주의적 행태가 아닌가. 제 살길 찾아 당을 떠나면서 그럴듯한 구호를 외치며 새 정치 운운하는 낯 두꺼운 행태에 국민들은 정치 환멸만 느낄 뿐이란 사실을 알아야 한다.
정덕구 의원은 그나마 의원직을 버림으로써 책임지는 정치인의 모습을 보여주었다. 정의원 처럼 배지를 던질 용기가 없거든 더 이상 미사여구로 국민을 현혹하는 염치없는 짓은 그만두고 민생에 전념하는 것이 그나마 국민에게 사죄하는 길이다. 권력놀음에 정신팔린 여당 의원들 때문에 오늘부터 시작된 임시국회에서 민생이 뒷전으로 밀릴지 모른다는 우려가 제기되고 있다. 여야는 대권 놀음을 그만두고 민생 현안부터 챙겨야 할 것이다.
[세계일보 2/4]
