Lack of Communication Among Lawmakers Before Recommending Budget Committee Members... Special Committee Formation Postponed to Next Month
Chairperson Hwang Kyung-ah Faces 'Conflict Resolution' Challenge Just Two Weeks Into Term... Leadership Put to
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] With less than a month remaining before the supplementary budget of 150 billion KRW for Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the formation of the district council's 'Budget and Accounts Special Committee' to review it is stalling.
Some council members claim there is no cooperation and procedural flaws, putting a halt to the committee's formation.
The Nam-gu Council of Gwangju attempted to deliberate and resolve the 'Appointment of Budget and Accounts Committee Members' at the 2nd plenary session of the 286th extraordinary meeting on the 21st, but opposition was expressed.
Kim Kyung-mook, Chair of the Social Construction Committee, recommended councilors No So-young, Park Yong-hwa, and Eun Bong-hee, while Jeong Chang-soo, Chair of the Planning and General Affairs Committee, recommended councilors Kim Kwang-soo, Shin Jong-hyuk, and Oh Young-soon as budget committee members. Chair Hwang Kyung-ah accepted these and put the matter on the agenda.
If all council members agree, the appointment is approved without a vote, after which the committee members elect a chairperson by secret ballot and report to the plenary session.
However, upon announcement of the list, members belonging to the Planning and General Affairs Committee declared a boycott. Their reason was that there was insufficient discussion among members before the standing committee chairs made recommendations.
The councilors claimed they did not know why they were excluded or recommended, stating, "There are procedural flaws and cooperation is missing." One councilor even took the drastic step of leaving the meeting after making boycott remarks.
The reason for this deadlock is analyzed to be the intense power struggle between the mainstream and non-mainstream factions.
The first-term councilors forming the mainstream faction centered around Chair Hwang Kyung-ah have taken the three standing committee chair positions, and the non-mainstream faction's resistance seems to have exploded against the hegemonic move to also control the special committee.
Moreover, the fact that councilor No So-young, who is close to Chair Hwang, is reportedly a strong candidate for the budget committee chairperson adds to the tension, leading local political circles to believe this conflict may be prolonged.
Jeong, Chair of the Planning and General Affairs Committee, explained, "There are five members in the Planning and General Affairs Committee including myself, and four of them wanted to join the Budget and Accounts Committee. I met with individual councilors to persuade them, but we could not narrow the differences."
Due to this deadlock, the agenda regarding the formation of the Budget and Accounts Committee as well as the Ethics Special Committee is expected to be addressed next month.
The decision not to forcibly appoint budget committee members through a vote during this session is interpreted as a political burden to avoid appearing as an 'arbitrary act by the chairpersons.'
With the supplementary budget season of 150 billion KRW approaching next month, the 'leadership responsibility' is also being raised, making conflict resolution an urgent issue. Chair Hwang's leadership, who stated she would "strengthen communication with fellow councilors and actively support legislative activities," is now being put to the test.
Chair Hwang emphasized, "I will do my best to mediate so that we can achieve harmony and unity beyond confrontation and conflict," adding, "I will soon arrange a meeting where all council members can gather in one place to have in-depth discussions regarding the appointment of budget committee members and related matters."
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