Sunday, November 18, 2012

Bitter feud between Ahn and Moon shows solidarity of the left

A bitter feud which has broken out between the two progressive candidates in the upcoming Korean election – Ahn Cheol-soo and Moon Jae-in, demonstrates the solidarity of the left and the fractious nature of the right.

While the battle between Ahn and Moon is being portrayed as divisive by the right-wing mainstream media, in fact they are arguing like a married couple which is a sign of a close relationship, and eventually one will beat the other.

The lack of debate between the right-wing candidate Park Geun-hye and herself however clearly shows the nature of the authoritarian and repressive state she wishes to create, just like the one her father Park Chung-hee created after his May 16 coup d'état in 1961. Her election would therefore be the second coup her family had instigated.

Ahn and Moon's policies are widely regarded as having the same goals but different methods. For example, Moon supports big government and a stronger role for the public sector, but Ahn favors strong government and a big role for the public sector. While these differences may seem insurmountable to some on the left, they are easily solvable if both candidates embrace unity and give confused voters a clear alternative to the dictator's daughter.

Ahn and Moon say they are committed to introducing a new style of politics in Korea as soon as they can decide which of them should stand as a unified candidate of the left.

Related Links
Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo clash publicly
Two liberal candidates have same goals but different methods
Park Chung-hee

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