“Must stop going their own paths and listen to the people”
On the 10th, 191 former lawmakers urged Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate from the People Power Party (PPP), and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate from the People Party, to unite, saying, “They must stop going on their own paths and listen to what the people are saying.”
191 former lawmakers, including Park Kwan-yong, Kim Hyoung-oh, Park Hee-tae, Kang Chang-hee, and Chung Eui-hwa, made a statement on their signature petition campaign, “The unification of the candidates is the way to victory and unity. This is a desperate plea from the people who desperately want a change of government.”
They cited the DJP (Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-pil) alliance of the 15th presidential election, the unification of Roh Moo-hyun and Chung Mong-joon during the 16th presidential election, the alliance between Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye during the 17th presidential election, and the merging of the Saenuri Party and the Advancement Unification Party during the 18th presidential election and pointed out that, “The last presidential election was won if united and lost if divided.”
They stated, “The people and party members are anxious about the current complacent optimism and strenuous efforts being made,” and asked in return, “How can we bet on the future of the country and government change on chance?”
In particular, they emphasized, “Uniting [the candidates] is not to just win, but to heal the historical confrontations and conflicts committed by this administration,” and, “We need to start this with a minor integration before the election.”
During the press conference, these former lawmakers stated that the people would like for the candidates to unite.
They said that they have collected about 9,000 signatures through an online petition urging for a united front since the 7th. It’s also been reported that former ministers have signed the petition, including Kim Jin-hyun, former Minister of Science and Technology, Jeon Jae-hee, former Minister of Health and Welfare, and Kim Sung-yi, former Minister of Health and Welfare.
Through the petition, they stated, “The people who are about to vote in the upcoming presidential election, are anxious that the government may not change due to the division of the opposition candidates,” adding that “the only way to meet the expectations of the people for a government change is through unification.”
They stated that “Uniting [the candidates] is not only to win the presidential election, but also to stabilize the management of state affairs through an overwhelming victory,” and, “This unification is a policy coalition for political reform that overcomes the executive presidency, and we need to create a joint government to promote it.”
They added, “Unification must be achieved in reciprocity and mutual respect on the principles of democracy and disclosure,” and, “It should not be a one-sided victory of either side, but a process of building the foundation for true governance through wisdom and experience as well as cooperation.”
They urged, “Discussions to unite [the candidates] should begin immediately and representatives of both parties and civil organizations should participate to ensure impartiality.” To create an atmosphere of unification, they requested that “officials from both parties should refrain from words and actions that would hinder this unification regardless of their status after today.”
Original article: https://www.jayupress.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2319
