Call for the Dissolution of City Council Special Committees
"Daegu City Council Reduced to a Mere Bystander"
On July 1, the Daegu Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice stated, "The Daegu Metropolitan Council should dissolve the special committees that merely served as a formality for the city?such as those on Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, Clean Water Supply Promotion, and Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport Construction?and reconsider these issues, including Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, from the very beginning."
The Daegu Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice said, "After Kim Jeonggi, the acting mayor of Daegu, recently expressed at the council’s Special Budget and Accounts Committee that the city is considering a long-term discussion on Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, a large number of banners that had been installed throughout Daegu?reading, 'Powerful Daegu full of freedom and vitality; if Daegu and Gyeongbuk are integrated, they will become the two major special cities alongside Seoul'?have disappeared."
The organization went on to say, "The Daegu Metropolitan Council was also one of the bodies that strongly advocated for Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration and implemented related procedures ahead of the next local elections. In September last year, when the city’s stance on the integration was inconsistent, the council took the lead by forming a special committee on Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, and in December, it approved the consent motion submitted by the city for the integration ('Motion to Hear Opinions on Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integration')." The group added, "The council has uncritically accepted the city’s policy changes regarding Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration. This also applies to the city’s policy changes on the relocation of the water intake source and the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport."
The Daegu Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice further stated, "The policies for which the acting mayor system of Daegu has recently indicated a willingness to change?Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, relocation of the water intake source, and Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport?are all projects that the city had promoted as key initiatives and heavily publicized as major undertakings even before the start of the 8th popularly elected administration. After the inauguration of former mayor Hong Joonpyo, these projects were unilaterally altered and pushed forward."
The organization continued, "Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, relocation of the water intake source, and the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport were all issues that the Daegu Metropolitan Council addressed by forming special committees. Among these, the special committees on Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport Construction and Clean Water Supply Promotion have been reconstituted every two years since their formation in 2018. These special committees have operated by merely following the city’s lead without any deliberation, maturation, or oversight of the city’s policies and projects, essentially serving as mere bystanders and facilitators." The group added, "The special committees on Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport Construction and Clean Water Supply have shown extremely poor performance. They cannot avoid criticism that they exist only for show or to create more positions. The same applies to the special committee on Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, which was formed last year. The council is now in a situation where it cannot criticize the policy changes made by the acting mayor system of Daegu."
The Daegu Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice stated, "If the city’s policies are changed as suggested by acting mayor Kim Jeonggi, the debates over Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration and the relocation of the water intake source will revert to the state before the 8th popularly elected administration, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport will lose its direction. Given the confusion and conflicts related to these issues under former mayor Hong Joonpyo’s administration, the situation could be even worse than three years ago. This means that issues such as Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration cannot be resolved by the city making unilateral decisions and the council merely playing a supporting role."
The Daegu Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice proposed, "We suggest that the Daegu Metropolitan Council dissolve all other special committees?including the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration Special Committee, the Clean Water Supply Promotion Special Committee, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Airport Construction Special Committee?in a spirit of reflection and renewal, given that the council has only played a supporting role for the city on important issues such as Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration. The council must also thoroughly reconsider and discuss from the beginning issues such as Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Integration, relocation of the water intake source, and construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
