Ruling Party Vows to Pass Anti-Violence Bills

Hong Joon-pyo GNP Floor Leader

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Staff Reporter

Floor leader Hong Joon-pyo of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) said Tuesday his party was willing to introduce a filibuster ― an option for delaying or blocking votes in the legislature ― on condition that anti-violence measures are passed by the legislature.

Opposition parties initially welcomed the scheme as they think this would be a major vehicle for minorities to make their voice heard in the GNP-dominated legislature. But they rejected the offer, saying the two measures were not tradable.

Hong and other GNP leaders are seeking a set of binding codes aimed at punishing lawmakers responsible for violence and damage to National Assembly facilities.

They have reviewed the plans, following last December's shameful chaos in the legislature over GNP lawmakers' go-it-alone strategy on the motion for a free trade agreement with the United States and media-related bills.

``We were told that such violence in the legislature has taken place in only three countries on earth. The three are Korea, Taiwan and Somalia,'' Hong said in a speech at an Assembly session.

``We plan to root out violent practices in the Assembly. We will force legislators who resort to unlawful methods to leave the legislature forever,'' he continued.

Democratic Party (DP) leaders opposed the measure, arguing the harsh punishment is undemocratic.

Their rationale is that the legislature is dominated by the GNP, having 171 seats in the 299-member Assembly, and the combined number of seats of other parties falls below that of the ruling party, which makes it difficult for opposition parties to take the initiative on major issues.

This matters, especially when their position is different from that of the majority GNP, for there are few chances of them seeing the results for which they hope.

DP leaders also said that there was no need for the new measure as lawmakers responsible for violence can be punished under the current law.

Opposition party leaders, including DP floor leader Won Hye-young, called for the adoption of a filibuster, insisting it would help a minority become a major player in the GNP-controlled Assembly.

In Tuesday's speech, Hong tried to curry favor with opposition parties so that they can cooperate in passing the anti-violence measure.

The DP welcomed his proposal regarding the tactic for delay and the blocking of floor votes, but said the two are not negotiable.

Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the DP made a clear distinction between the two measures, saying, ``A filibuster is a measure that was introduced in advanced countries, but the anti-violence bill sought by the GNP is a bad initiative.''

[출처 : 코리아타임스]