NLD report on 2008 charter within a week

The opposition National League for Democracy will submit its report on the 2008 constitution to the parliamentary joint committee for constitutional review before the deadline, according to party spokesperson Win Myint.

Political parties and the public must submit their proposals to the committee before December 31, which is only a week away.

Win Myint, also a member of the NLD’s central executive committee and the lower House, told Eleven Media that the NLD is preparing to submit its proposals but he could not give an exact date for submitting the letter. Another NLD spokesperson, Nyan Win, said last week that the party was working on the proposal letter that was to be submitted to the committee after December 21.

Although Win Myint did not reveal the proposals in detail, he said it covers sections in the constitution that deal with lack of authority or are not in line with democratic practice, the Union, human rights, equal rights, and autonomy. “There are more than 100 items. The monks, the public, and the students have sacrificed their lives for democracy and human rights so we will only submit suggestions that allow democracy and human rights, systematic democracy and insurance for human rights in our proposal,” said Win Myint.

When the NLD met with ethnic political parties in September to discuss whether the constitution should be amended or redrafted, the parties were not able to reach an agreement so the NLD decided to canvas public opinion. A team of seven representatives travelled to various states and regions to hold public talks on the constitution. About 90 per cent of the public agree that the constitution should be amended.

After the September meeting, the NLD and the ethnic political parties issued a joint statement saying the constitution contains sections that obstruct ethnic rights, which are essential for internal peace and the establishment of a true federal state. It also said there were one-sided sections of the constitution that cause inequality between the three democracy pillars, sections that cannot guarantee equal rights of all citizens, and those that could prevent free and fair elections in 2015.

The parliamentary joint committee for constitutional review was formed with 109 members, including seven members from the NLD. The committee must submit a report on the constitution to the Parliament before January 30.