SEOUL– President Moon Jae-in on Friday asked the National Assembly to back his administration’s final months of efforts to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and improve people’s lives.
Speaking during a luncheon meeting with the leaders of parliament at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon requested bipartisan support, in particular, for the 2022 budget proposal and other pending bills, even if competition between the ruling and opposition parties is heating up ahead of the presidential election.
“I ask (you) to join forces in protecting and further developing the lives of the people,” separate from the presidential race, Moon told the attendees. They are National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug and new Deputy Speaker Chung Jin-suk, as well as the heads of the 18 standing committees.
“It is the time when genuine cooperation through dialogue and compromise among the ruling, opposition parties and the government is desperately needed,” the president added.
He pointed out the government has submitted to the parliament a bill on next year’s budget, worth 604 trillion won (US$518 billion), up 8.3 percent from this year.
It is aimed at achieving “complete recovery” from the pandemic-caused crisis and creating an opportunity for “new (economic) take-off,” he said.
“In addition, I would like you to consider that more than half of the budget will be used by the next government,” he stated at the outset of the meeting. The presidential election is slated for March 9, 2022, with a new administration to begin two months later.
It marked the first time the president has invited the leaders of the 21st National Assembly to Cheong Wa Dae for lunch. The four-year parliamentary session began in late May 2020, but members of the ruling Democratic Party had taken the chairmanship of all the 18 standing committees. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) argued its member should serve as head of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Following a deal between the rival parties earlier this week, the National Assembly picked Chung, a five-term lawmaker of the PPP, as deputy speaker. It also elected new chairpersons of 10 standing committees, which include seven PPP lawmakers.
Moon expressed hope the normalized operation of the National Assembly will serve as a chance for the “politics of cooperation” to get underway in earnest.
Source: Yonhap News Agency