The ruling Grand National Party acknowledges that it is in crisis. Yet, it shows few signs of trying hard to pull itself out of the quandary. No wonder supporters are turning their backs on the party.

The lethargy manifested itself when the party recently summoned its lawmakers to a conference on improving its image among the electorate ahead of the next parliamentary elections in April. The conference, rather than serving as a forum on proposed reforms, ended in a dispute over who would hold sway in nominations.

This is not to say that the participants ignored the proposals to improve the status of non-regular workers, tax the wealthy more, cut university tuition fees and provide greater child care support. Those were some of the issues selected to shed its image as a party for the wealthy.

But the issues were taken up only to be sidelined when the focus shifted to who would lead the party in the run-up to the April general elections and what would be the criteria for reelection nominations.

In the ruling party, power has been shifting from President Lee Myung-bak and his faction to Rep. Park Geun-hye, a former party leader, who is the hitherto uncontested potential nominee for the presidential election next December. Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, the incumbent leader, admitted to the ongoing power shift when he said at the conference of lawmakers that he would resign from his post and clear the way for Rep. Park to resume the leadership if they so desired.

Rep. Park and her faction turned down his proposal, apparently because she did not want to be held accountable if the party were defeated in the April elections, as predicted by many political commentators. As a result, Rep. Hong was able to retain his leadership

But the decision made at the conference fell short of a confidence vote for Rep. Hong, who later vowed to proceed with the proposed reform programs under his leadership. His leadership has been continuously challenged, with many believing that he is nothing but a caretaker.

Opinion polls best describe the sorry state in which the party finds itself. They show that it is left far behind in approval ratings by a party that may or may not be created by Ahn Cheol-soo, a software developer-turned university professor, who has been successfully connecting with the electorate. The party has no one else but itself to blame.