Presidential candidate wary of reform U-turn
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Calls on ruling party to stop those resisting democracy
Parliamentary Speaker Thura Shwe Mann has urged fellow members of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) to oppose those seeking to reverse Myanmar’s reforms.
The Speaker’s comments came in response to questions posed by the Union Daily Paper, a USDP mouthpiece.
“The ruling USDP is responsible for stopping those seeking a U-turn in Myanmar’s political reforms. The multiparty democratic system and market economy prescribed in the Constitution came into sight with the approval of the ruling party and that is supported by the people,” said Shwe Mann.
The Union Daily also questioned comments Shwe Mann made on a recent visit to the US, where he raised the possibility of a coalition after the 2015 election between the ruling party and the opposition National League for Democracy party.
In response, Shwe Mann said that the same things [reforms] would be jointly carried out by the merged parties, who would set aside their differences of opinion.
Aung Thaung of the ruling USDP had earlier asked Shwe Mann to explain his recent
comments about creating a coalition government. In his opening speech at the USDP’s central committee meeting,
Shwe Mann said that the respective parties must regard each other as partners if they wanted to implement national reconciliation in a multiparty democratic system.
Shwe Mann has also voiced his ambition to run for the presidency in the 2015 elections.
