ID :
202584
Sun, 08/21/2011 - 17:10
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202584
The shortlink copeid
Seoul mayor vows to stake office on free lunch vote
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, comments in paras 10, 12-15, 17-18)
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged Sunday to stake his mayorship on the results of this week's referendum on the city's free school lunch program, upping the ante in the controversial vote.
"I will stake my mayorship on the results of Wednesday's referendum and take full responsibility for them," he said during a press conference at City Hall.
"If my decision today can sow the seeds to bear the fruits of sustainable welfare and true democracy in this country, I have no regrets even if (I) fade into the mists of history," he said.
The mayor stressed that the referendum must be used as an opportunity to demonstrate the will of the citizens, and offered to step down if the vote ends in failure, either due to low voter turnout or a majority in favor of the opposition.
The vote asks citizens to choose between the opposition-led program of free school lunch for all students and one that prioritizes those in most need. Oh, a member of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), has argued that providing free lunch to all students is a populist policy that weighs down government finances, while opposition parties claim that having only poor students receive free lunches could stigmatize them at school.
The ballots will be counted only if one-third of the city's nearly 8.4 million eligible voters participate in the vote, the first such poll for Seoul. Opposition parties are encouraging citizens to boycott the vote to nullify the referendum aimed at stopping the free lunch program.
Oh's announcement comes days after the mayor said he will not run in next year's presidential race, rejecting speculation that he is using the referendum to boost his political fortunes ahead of the key election.
The GNP had voiced opposition to Oh's intention to step down, but following his decision, it vowed to ensure a victory at the polls, saying the office of the mayor should not be linked to a policy referendum.
"It isn't right to tie the mayorship to a policy vote, which is not a referendum over the office of mayor," Kim Gi-hyeon, a GNP spokesman, said at a briefing at his party headquarters in Seoul. He added that if turnout is low, Oh would not be responsible, and that the opposition-led campaign to boycott the vote would be at fault.
A vote in Oh's favor could boost the GNP's political leverage, while a loss would require a by-election for the mayorship and may even impact the party's fate in next year's parliamentary and presidential elections.
"I have put a lot of effort into narrowing differences with the party, and while some have understood (my position), others still disagree with me," Oh said. "As everyone predicts, achieving a turnout rate of 33.3 percent is certainly no easy task, especially with the ongoing boycott campaign. That is why I believe the GNP will join me in doing its best."
Related to the political impact the referendum will have, GNP chairman Hong Joon-pyo stressed that under current law there is a limit to what the party can do to help the mayor.
He added that the referendum should not be viewed as a major issue in South Korea's political landscape and that it made no sense to link it to the fate of the party.
"It is only a small theme compared to the really big subjects that are next year's parliamentary and presidential elections," the lawmaker said.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, lashed out at Oh's move, demanding the mayor stop his "political play" to lure citizens to the polls.
"Not long ago, (the mayor) made an announcement out of the blue that he would not run in the presidential race. That was the first step of his strategy to put pressure on citizens, and now he is using his mayorship to launch the second step of his blackmail strategy," said Lee Yong-sup, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party, in a commentary. The spokesman accused Oh of bargaining with Seoul residents and making light of their "high political awareness."
Others opponents of the vote, such as the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education that had pushed for the free lunch program, claimed that Oh's move to tie his office to the results is an illegal ploy to get more people to take part in the referendum.
"This latest move is a strategic move to use the vote as a political tool," it claimed.
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon pledged Sunday to stake his mayorship on the results of this week's referendum on the city's free school lunch program, upping the ante in the controversial vote.
"I will stake my mayorship on the results of Wednesday's referendum and take full responsibility for them," he said during a press conference at City Hall.
"If my decision today can sow the seeds to bear the fruits of sustainable welfare and true democracy in this country, I have no regrets even if (I) fade into the mists of history," he said.
The mayor stressed that the referendum must be used as an opportunity to demonstrate the will of the citizens, and offered to step down if the vote ends in failure, either due to low voter turnout or a majority in favor of the opposition.
The vote asks citizens to choose between the opposition-led program of free school lunch for all students and one that prioritizes those in most need. Oh, a member of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), has argued that providing free lunch to all students is a populist policy that weighs down government finances, while opposition parties claim that having only poor students receive free lunches could stigmatize them at school.
The ballots will be counted only if one-third of the city's nearly 8.4 million eligible voters participate in the vote, the first such poll for Seoul. Opposition parties are encouraging citizens to boycott the vote to nullify the referendum aimed at stopping the free lunch program.
Oh's announcement comes days after the mayor said he will not run in next year's presidential race, rejecting speculation that he is using the referendum to boost his political fortunes ahead of the key election.
The GNP had voiced opposition to Oh's intention to step down, but following his decision, it vowed to ensure a victory at the polls, saying the office of the mayor should not be linked to a policy referendum.
"It isn't right to tie the mayorship to a policy vote, which is not a referendum over the office of mayor," Kim Gi-hyeon, a GNP spokesman, said at a briefing at his party headquarters in Seoul. He added that if turnout is low, Oh would not be responsible, and that the opposition-led campaign to boycott the vote would be at fault.
A vote in Oh's favor could boost the GNP's political leverage, while a loss would require a by-election for the mayorship and may even impact the party's fate in next year's parliamentary and presidential elections.
"I have put a lot of effort into narrowing differences with the party, and while some have understood (my position), others still disagree with me," Oh said. "As everyone predicts, achieving a turnout rate of 33.3 percent is certainly no easy task, especially with the ongoing boycott campaign. That is why I believe the GNP will join me in doing its best."
Related to the political impact the referendum will have, GNP chairman Hong Joon-pyo stressed that under current law there is a limit to what the party can do to help the mayor.
He added that the referendum should not be viewed as a major issue in South Korea's political landscape and that it made no sense to link it to the fate of the party.
"It is only a small theme compared to the really big subjects that are next year's parliamentary and presidential elections," the lawmaker said.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, lashed out at Oh's move, demanding the mayor stop his "political play" to lure citizens to the polls.
"Not long ago, (the mayor) made an announcement out of the blue that he would not run in the presidential race. That was the first step of his strategy to put pressure on citizens, and now he is using his mayorship to launch the second step of his blackmail strategy," said Lee Yong-sup, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party, in a commentary. The spokesman accused Oh of bargaining with Seoul residents and making light of their "high political awareness."
Others opponents of the vote, such as the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education that had pushed for the free lunch program, claimed that Oh's move to tie his office to the results is an illegal ploy to get more people to take part in the referendum.
"This latest move is a strategic move to use the vote as a political tool," it claimed.
