PPP should turn over new leaf to win back public trust
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has emerged from its protracted internal feud caused by the ethics panel's disciplinary action against Lee Jun-seok, the party's former leader, over allegations that he accepted sexual favors as bribes and abetted an attempt to destroy evidence of the incident.
The PPP's ethics committee suspended Lee from the party for another year Friday in addition to a six-month suspension imposed in July. On Thursday, a Seoul court dismissed three separate injunctions filed by Lee against the party's emergency leadership committee.
The decision might mean that Lee can't run as one of the conservative party's candidates in the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2024. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Lee, 37, has two options. To begin with, he can maintain his party membership and seek a way out while keeping a low profile. Otherwise, he can leave the PPP and create a new party.
The PPP plunged into chaos despite its consecutive victories in this year's presidential and local elections. In its early days in power, the party should have devoted itself to normalizing state affairs and accelerating reform, but its precious time has been wasted on incomprehensible conflicts within the party. It was unprecedented for a party leader to fight a legal battle against the party. No wonder people have turned their backs on the tattered ruling party.
The PPP's emergency leadership committee should straighten out the confusion as soon as possible and show that the PPP is a responsible ruling party. Now the public is struggling with a triple whammy of runaway inflation, high interest rates and the weakening local currency against the U.S. dollar. At a time when the national security crisis is mounting amid North Korea's successive missile provocations, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is doing whatever it can to undermine the government. Nonetheless, the government and the ruling party cannot shirk responsibility for state affairs. The PPP should reflect on what caused the governing camp's swift descent and turn over a new leaf to win back public trust.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has emerged from its protracted internal feud caused by the ethics panel's disciplinary action against Lee Jun-seok, the party's former leader, over allegations that he accepted sexual favors as bribes and abetted an attempt to destroy evidence of the incident.
The PPP's ethics committee suspended Lee from the party for another year Friday in addition to a six-month suspension imposed in July. On Thursday, a Seoul court dismissed three separate injunctions filed by Lee against the party's emergency leadership committee.
The decision might mean that Lee can't run as one of the conservative party's candidates in the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2024. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, Lee, 37, has two options. To begin with, he can maintain his party membership and seek a way out while keeping a low profile. Otherwise, he can leave the PPP and create a new party.
The PPP plunged into chaos despite its consecutive victories in this year's presidential and local elections. In its early days in power, the party should have devoted itself to normalizing state affairs and accelerating reform, but its precious time has been wasted on incomprehensible conflicts within the party. It was unprecedented for a party leader to fight a legal battle against the party. No wonder people have turned their backs on the tattered ruling party.
The PPP's emergency leadership committee should straighten out the confusion as soon as possible and show that the PPP is a responsible ruling party. Now the public is struggling with a triple whammy of runaway inflation, high interest rates and the weakening local currency against the U.S. dollar. At a time when the national security crisis is mounting amid North Korea's successive missile provocations, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is doing whatever it can to undermine the government. Nonetheless, the government and the ruling party cannot shirk responsibility for state affairs. The PPP should reflect on what caused the governing camp's swift descent and turn over a new leaf to win back public trust.
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