Changes in Policies and Image

Rep. Hwang has hands full as new floor leader and acting GNP chairman



Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, the new floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party, said he will try to change the public image of the ruling party as the party for the wealthy, aptly known as “the wellbeing party," detached from the general public.
In a recent radio appearance, the four-term legislator from Incheon said he will try to see to it that the GNP comes up with policies that will support the people on the streets, always alert to find out what they want. The ruling party has also decided that the floor leader will represent the party in the absence of the chairman and until a new chairman is elected in what they called a two-tier party leadership system. Rep. Chung Ui-wha, chairman of the Emergency Committee, will take charge of the day-to-day management of the party as was decided by a meeting of the party's top council and the general meeting of the legislators of the party recently.
The new majority leader said his party will always be on the lookout for tailor-made welfare policies for the people, such as those designed to support school registration fees, jobs for the young, education for those in their 30s, single housing for those in their 40s and life after retirement for those in their 50s, among others.
The lawmaker noted in particular that the ruling party will promote “family friendly" policies, including early education for children starting from age 5 with all of the expenses paid by the government in order to take the financial burden off of young married couples, as well as welfare programs aimed at senior citizens to help prepare for an aged society as the number of seniors increases.
He said the party is engaged in serious reconsiderations of its policies and other activities in the wake of its defeats in the April 27 supplementary and reelections, taking it as a stern warning from the people in the governing party to change its policies and activities with a greater focus on the people. The majority leader said the government led by President Lee has had great success in a number of key areas including the per capita GDP reaching $20,000, hosting the G-20 Summit in Seoul, and the stock index rising above the 2,000 level for the first time in more than a decade, but they failed to attend to areas that were not beneficiaries of the astounding economic growth. Rising inflation, increased school registration fees, the lack of jobs, high housing rents and the livelihood of senior citizens are some of the problems that the government should have addressed wisely, which he says weighs very heavy on his mind.
He said the party took its first step to remedy the situation, which was to shake up its hierarchy and bring new people in to manage the changes. The shakeup involved the change of the floor leader, the chief policymaker and chairman of the Emergency Committee, among others. Lee said the new leaders will try to remove all factions within the party and widen communications with the government to listen more to what the people want and reflect them in government policies. The major task that the party will take action to resolve is cleaning up its public image that it is a wellbeing party for the rich, and far from one that looks after all of the people.
As the floor leader for the ruling party, he will try to open dialogue with opposition parties to work together, not physically shoving each other over issues on the floor, and to make the legislature an advanced one in the world.
In the first step to cooperate with opposition parties, Lee and Rep. Chung, chairman of the Emergency Committee, paid a courtesy call on Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the major opposition Democratic Party. Rep. Sohn greeted them by saying that the ruling party is determined to have a new start by electing the two legislators with no political stripes or colors, not belonging to any factions.
In reply, the chief policymaker said he hoped the opposition parties would also take bigger political steps and not always hang on to opposition politics. Rep. Chung told Rep. Sohn that he will always keep deeply ingrained in his mind the critical importance of opposition in the legislature and try to give them respect at all time when dealing with all major legislative pieces coming up for parliamentary approval. nw

Photo on Courtesy of Rep. Hwang’s office