[Debate review] Moon and Ahn face off over single opposition candidate

Posted on : 2012-11-22 11:58 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
While cordial, liberal presidential hopefuls dig at each other’s weakness in televised debate
 but instead watched from a separate room outside. (by Kim Tae-hyung
but instead watched from a separate room outside. (by Kim Tae-hyung

By Seong Han-yong, political correspondent

In a closely matched contest, the two presidential hopefuls appeared calm, their questions dug tenaciously into each other’s weak points. During the 100-minute on Nov. 21 debate on choosing a single opposition candidate, Democratic United Party (DUP) candidate Moon Jae-in and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo fought tooth and nail, neither yielding an inch.

Moon came out swinging in the debate, drawing attention one by one to the weaknesses in the positions that Ahn had revealed during the campaign. Moon criticized Ahn’s position on North Korea, going so far as to suggest that it was no different from that of the Lee Myung-bak administration. Ahn’s debate technique involved asking questions about Moon’s policies while adding explanations of his own positions. He took a direct shot at Moon when he quoted Professor Choi Jang-jip, implying that the administration of former President Roh Moo-hyun was under the thumb of the party elite, economic bureaucrats, and Samsung Group.

The distinct difference in the two candidates’ debate strategy could be seen starting with their opening statements. Experience with the structure and mechanisms of government is necessary to be able to respond to an international crisis, Moon said, adding that it took him all of his five years working in the Roh administration to learn those mechanisms. If one doesn’t understand how government works, he will be left to the mercy of bureaucrats and big business. When it comes to running a country, good intentions alone just don’t cut it. He was making a strong case that Ahn, who has no experience in government, would not make a good president.

Ahn, on the other hand, began his statement by expressing concern for the people who would be inconvenienced by the interruption of city bus service. He shared stories from people he had met during his campaign, including a thirty-year-old homemaker, an old woman from Jindo, and a forty-year-old office worker. Ahn also suggested that this was the best chance the public would ever have to take ownership of politics. His basic approach was to suggest the importance of “new politics,” the central plank of his campaign platform, using an emotional style communicated through the voice of the people.

Neither of the two backed down in the ongoing dispute about how to choose a single opposition candidate. As soon as the debate moved to political leadership, Moon was the first to propose that the two candidates meet on Nov. 22 to settle the issue. He also attacked his counterpart, saying that each of them have to compromise, but Ahn‘s negotiating team hadn’t been given the authority to make decisions and thus could not back down from their initial offer.

“It‘s not true that we haven’t budged from our original offer,” Moon shot back Ahn. “It‘s my understanding that the negotiations are at a standstill because we made an offer and the DUP refused it. He also said that they needed to choose a candidate who could defeat Saenuri Party (NFP) candidate Park Geun-hye, repeatedly urging that the opposition candidate be selected according to a hypothetical one-on-one contest with Park.

For the most part, the two candidates went on the offensive in their areas of strength. In politics, Moon pointed to problems with Ahn’s proposals for reform, such as reducing the number of seats in the National Assembly, arguing that they would weaken politics. Ahn defended his position, suggesting that the point was already settled since the DUP had participated in the joint declaration about Ahn’s new politics.

Ahn pressed Moon to identify the fundamental reason that economic growth was failing to create jobs. When Moon answered that it was because exports had increased without benefits being shared, Ahn retorted that it was because the financial sector had ballooned out of proportion to the real economy.

During the debate, netizens on Twitter and message boards poured out their opinions about the debating skills of the two candidates. Commentators gave them high rankings for good conduct, praising them for hearing their opponent out to the end. Others felt that the debate was "too dull."

 

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