We strongly denounce the rushing through of the unconstitutional plan for the UAE troop dispatch

We strongly denounce the rushing-through of the unconstitutional plan for the UAE troop dispatch

They ignore the attempt to achieve a broad consensus among the people and the parliamentary procedures to verify the validity.

The ruling Grand National Party(GNP) has rushed through the proposal to dispatch special forces to the United Arab Emirates(UAE) while trampling on a parliamentary democracy. The troop dispatch proposal reached the plenary session without passing through the national defense committee as the National Assembly Speaker invoked his right to table the bill directly to the plenary meeting. Obviously, it disturbs the Constitution, which has no parallel in the nation’s history of troop dispatch. We at the PSPD strongly denounce the GNP and the National Assembly Speaker for their approval of the UAE troop dispatch while ignoring the right to deliberate and vote granted to the Parliament, and without making efforts to collect public opinion.

In the first place, the UAE troop dispatch itself generated controversy over the legitimacy in that the dispatch was used at the price of nuclear power plant contract. Claims to verify if the dispatch contradicts the Constitution were put forward, since the troop dispatch to the UAE is against the meaning of existence and duties of the Korean troops with the clear stipulation in the Constitution of troop dispatch to non-conflict regions. It is natural to fully discuss the need and validity of the UAE troop dispatch after a close review of the political situations and diplomatic relations in the Middle East.

However, as the administration had pushed ahead with the troop dispatch in secret, the GNP skipped discussions with opposition parties. Furthermore, it failed to ask public opinion. Instead, Assembly Speaker  Park Hee-tae and the GNP approved the government proposal, claiming that the passage was urgently needed ‘in regard of trust and commitment to the global community,’ which is an unacceptable and shabby assertion. The logic that the government’s secret commitment to troop dispatch precedes minimum democratic procedures required for the approval of the proposal or collection of public opinion is flatly unacceptable especially for a democratic country. That is simply deplorable. The rushing-through of the troop dispatch proposal is nothing to do with trust or commitment to the global community, but would only make ourselves an object of ridicule in the international society.

Definitely, the behavior of the GNP, which defamed the people and infringed on a parliamentary democracy, will seriously backfire among the people. In addition, the GNP should be held responsible for the troop dispatch as an impediment to the peace in the Middle East in the long run, and further threat to the security of our people in the region. Coupled with this, noting that, with the UAE troop dispatch plan which is significantly flawed in terms of both content and procedures, the GNP opened the possibility of troop dispatch whenever asked for even though it lacks legitimacy and goes against the principle, we’d like to clarify our intent to call the GNP to the consequence.