The People Power Party said on Oct. 19 that it will simultaneously introduce the "Choo Mi-ae prevention act" and the "Kim Hyun-ji prevention act."
Na Kyung-won and other People Power Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee signaled the introduction of a bill to that effect that day.
The "Choo Mi-ae prevention act" aims to correct the majority party's unilateral control of meetings, deprivation of speaking rights, forced removal, and refusal to appoint a floor leader. ▲ Legally guarantee the negotiation bloc's right to recommend a floor leader ▲ Restrict abuse of the standing committee chair's authority to maintain order ▲ Allow only commissioners who faithfully attend to take part in votes ▲ Prohibit ending debate if there are lawmakers remaining who have not spoken will likely be included.
According to the People Power Party, since Choo Mi-ae became chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, there have been a total of 271 cases of restrictions on speaking rights at the committee: 189 cases of depriving procedural and personal statements, 26 cases of closing debate after depriving debate rights, and 56 cases of not proceeding despite requests to speak in debate.
The "Kim Hyun-ji prevention act" aims to prevent key witnesses from avoiding attendance. Under current law, the adoption of witnesses relies entirely on a committee resolution. If a party with a majority opposes, even important witnesses cannot be adopted.
The People Power Party plans to introduce a bill allowing witnesses to be adopted automatically without a majority vote if at least one-third of the committee's total commissioners request witness attendance in writing. The chairperson would immediately issue a summons based on that request, and any delay or refusal would be considered unlawful, preventing arbitrary refusal of duties by the chairperson.
Na said, "What truly aligns with the liberal democratic basic order is stopping the tyranny of the majority party and guaranteeing the minority party's rights to speak and vote," adding, "The 'Choo Mi-ae prevention act' and the 'Kim Hyun-ji prevention act' will restore the National Assembly's debate culture and parliamentary democracy of agreement and consultation, and serve as the minimum institutional safety device that allows suspicions of abuse of power to be pursued to the end."