What is purpose of PPP’s White Paper on April 10 general election?[Editorial]

Cho Jung-hoon (3rd from left), chairman of the Special Committee on the 22nd National Election White Paper of the People\'s Power, speaks during a plenary session at the National Assembly on Sunday. Park Min-kyu

Internal conflicts are intensifying over a “White Paper,” which will analyze, identify, and record the cause of the crushing defeat of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) in the April 10 general election Reflection faded and only the political battle between pro-Yoon Suk-yeol faction and pro-Han Dong-hoon faction to avoid responsibility emerged, and eventually, some of them called for Cho Jung-hoon, chairman of the special committee on the White Paper, to resign.

It is bleak from the public's point of view what they can expect from such a ruling party. The essence of the White Paper on the election is a thorough and transparent self-reflection without sanctuary. The ruling party should realize that there is no point in creating the White Paper if it is going to gloss over real problems and responsibilities.

Cho said in a statement on May 20, "I am not running for party leader (in the national convention)." He had been embroiled in a controversy over rumors that he would run for the convention and rushed to extinguish the situation as the pro-Han faction asked him to step down. However, it is too late, given that trust in the White Paper has been shattered within the party. Cho is largely responsible for the controversies and conflicts surrounding the White Paper.

The conflict over the PPP’s White Paper was inevitable from the moment a wrong controversy emerged ignoring the clear responsibility and cause of the defeat in the general election. When the special committee conducted an evaluation survey on the general election and asked questions about former emergency committee chairman Han Dong-hoon's "Lee and Cho responsibility theory" or the one-top system, the pro-Han faction protested. Who would be fair to say that there was no question about the responsibility of the presidential office that the public knew? As Cho's alleged candidacy in the national convention has raised disputes over checking the former committee leader Han, it is doubtful how many people will be trusted with such a politically painted and contaminated White Paper. The ruling party's cowardice in failing to check Yoon's self-righteousness and insubordination is probably the biggest part of its responsibility, but even in the White Paper, there is internal criticism that “the presidential office is a sanctuary,” so the ruling party's reflection and change seem to be impossible.

The purpose of the White Paper is to find out the reasons of victory and defeat and lessons and to suggest the direction the party should move forward in the future. It would not be wrong to include the voices from the first meeting on May 15 by PPP lawmakers, who got to learn public sentiment after struggling in the Seoul metropolitan area, in the White Paper. The five causes of the defeat, including lack of communication with people and the controversy over former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, are exactly what the people think. The ruling party, which says it is reflecting on the crushing defeat in the general election but turns it into a power struggle, should be truly ashamed. Even now, it should be determined to the extent that it is naked and make the White Paper including transparent reflection without sanctuary.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.