Inexperienced chiefs of parliamentary committees

Rep. Ahn Hong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party, who was appointed chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Unification Committee of the National Assembly, is a former obstetrician who never worked for the same committee under the last two parliaments. Because of this, many sarcastically have asked if he goes to "operate on the Foreign Ministry.” Professor-turned-lawmaker Suh Sang-ki, another Saenuri member, will head the parliamentary intelligence committee. He is also being teased, with one critic saying, “Intelligence is science.” Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the main opposition Democratic United Party, who has no experience in education, was nominated chairman of the education, science and technology Committee. This is the result of neglect of education by politicians. Appointing Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the ruling party to head the culture and tourism committee was also unfair. He is suspected of illegal wiretapping after his release of minutes of a meeting by the now-defunct Democratic Party in June last year.

Standing committee chairmen play a critical role in parliament by presiding over committee meetings and leading the passage of bills. In the U.S., where the majority party names all heads of congressional committees, expertise is the most important qualification. A committee chairman’s capability is critical to the parliamentary functions of holding various hearings and subcommittee meetings to listen to opinions from all walks of life to enact and revise laws. On the selection criteria for standing committee chairmen, the ruling party`s floor leader Lee Han-koo said Thursday, “We considered regions and gave slight preferential treatment to older lawmakers.” If standing committee chiefs are selected according to region and age and not ability and expertise, this shows how backwards the Korean legislature is.

The appointment of Rep. Park Young-sun of the Democratic United Party as chief of the legislation and judiciary Committee is also problematic since she has never practiced law. The committee is tasked with deliberating legal systems, forms and wording so it has acted as the upper house historically. To appoint a non-legal professional to head the committee, the committee’s role as the upper house should be removed first. The main opposition party’s nomination of Park to lead the committee is tantamount to an official announcement that “No bill that we oppose can pass parliament.” Among the bills that passed standing committees, as many as 188 failed to be passed in the previous National Assembly due to objections from the legislation committee.

Joining forces to deal with all matters is ideal. Each parliamentary standing committee exists for the sake of efficiency, however, to allow them to review bills in detail. This is why the role of their chairmen is crucial. For ministers-designate, lawmakers review their ability and qualifications. Who should judge the expertise and qualifications of standing committee chiefs then? The recent nominations of committee chairmen go against common sense. The people are worried whether the 19th National Assembly can perform its duties properly.