Na Kyung-won: "If the National Assembly is run by majority vote, why elect 300 members? The original organization should be formed by consensus"

"National Assembly emphasizes the process of coordinating many opinions with public sentiment"
Undecided about running in the party convention

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The legal deadline for the formation of the 22nd National Assembly's leadership (the 7th) is just four days away, but negotiations are facing difficulties. In this regard, regarding the opposition party's remarks demanding an immediate vote on the leadership formation agenda even if done unilaterally, Na Kyung-won, a member of the People Power Party, emphasized, "The National Assembly operates on the principle of consensus, not majority rule."

On the 3rd, Na said on KBS Radio's 'Jeonggyeok Sisa', "I was surprised by the remarks made by Representative Lee Jae-myung," referring to Lee's statement on the 31st of last month about the leadership formation, where he said, "The principle of democracy is majority rule," and added, "While consensus is preferable, if the minority acts stubbornly or unfairly, democracy is not about being dragged along by that." Lee's remarks were interpreted as meaning that if the ruling and opposition parties fail to agree on the leadership formation by the 7th, the opposition should immediately proceed with a vote on the agenda unilaterally.

Na criticized, "If the National Assembly is operated solely on the principle of majority rule, there is no need to elect 300 members of the National Assembly. The Democratic Party, having even one more seat, could do as it pleases," adding, "(In that case) our party would have no role at all." She emphasized that the National Assembly is a process of coordinating public opinion and various views. She continued, "The important thing is the spirit of consensus, but while they say 'according to the law,' they (the opposition) want to do as they please, which is very concerning."

On the 1st, Na had pointed out on her social media (SNS) Facebook, "It is right to form the leadership according to consensus," and criticized, "Representative Lee Jae-myung is destroying the basics of parliamentary democracy by wielding majority power. The opposition leader is leading, directing, and commanding the majority's tyranny that endangers democracy."

Regarding her candidacy for the party leadership election, she said she has not yet made up her mind. She stated, "Originally, the party leadership election was supposed to be held immediately after the formation of the Emergency Response Committee," and added, "In reality, various tasks are being carried out after the committee was formed, so it seems uncertain when the party leadership election will be held."

Regarding the recent remarks by former Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon suggesting it would be better not to run in the party leadership election, Na described it as "a kind of advice," saying, "As someone who has been in politics for a long time, I have often seen many frontrunners for the presidential election narrowly lose, so that was the reason for his comment."