Opposition parties are voicing a chorus of unyielding judgment against the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project ahead of the June 2 regional elections. In addition to permanent submersion, water quality pollution and ecological damage, the opposition plans to stress cuts in social welfare budgets resulting from the excessive construction project and turn the issues into a representative example of the true state of affairs of the Lee Myung-bak government.

The five opposition parties, as part of their pan-opposition solidarity, have pledged to block the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project and have begun concrete action to make this a reality. A Democratic Party (DP) committee to block the project plans to visit construction sites in March to raise issues in a concentrated fashion regarding drinking water, permanent submersion of adjacent lands, pollution and budgetary concerns. It plans to conduct studies on polluted soil deposits from the Han River’s Gangchon and Ipo Weirs and sow seeds at an organic farm near the Paldang Dam on Thursday.

On March 16 and 18, they will visit the upstream and downstream areas of the Nakdong River to uncover damage to cultural properties and wetlands. On March 21, after making a public pledge to block the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, they plan to conduct an on-site survey of submersion damage and the ecology of the Yeongsan River on March 23.

The opposition believes that by calling for a judgment on the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, it can preemptively take on local quality of life issues. DP Lawmaker Won Hye-young said “We think that the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project as well as the tax cuts for the wealthy will become the two main pillars of the election pledge for June 2 regional elections.”

He said this could be a convincing argument if they convey to local residents the extent to which social welfare programs are shrinking due to the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. This means they will have a greater opportunity to win over voters if they inform them that regional social welfare projects have contracted due to construction for the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, on top of the deterioration in local financial soundness due to tax cuts for the wealthy.

The opposition is also hoping for strength in solidarity from religious groups. Since voices of opposition are rising not only from within Buddhist and Catholic groups but Protestant groups as well, the votes of believers, who are greatly influenced by their religious leaders, could naturally move towards the opposition.

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