Instigators behind religious conflict: Shwe Mann

 

“Religious conflict is not a normal occurrence and instigators are likely the culprits,” he said.

Shwe Mann aired his view on Thursday at a press conference on the sidelines of the lower House session.

Reporters questioned why sectarian violence did not break out under the military government. They said the government seemed to have failed to rein in the situation and that parliament had not been kept updated.

In his response, Shwe Mann blamed instigators for abusing democratic rule to spawn the outbreaks of violence.

“In the past, the country was under military regime and run by dictatorial rules. Nowadays democracy is in action; those who abuse democratic rule perhaps are responsible for fuelling the conflict. In addition, other instigations should be considered. Speaking of instigation, it is quite sensitive. We should not be concerned about just our own country or organisation. There are other countries. Whenever the aggression happens, those who will be harmed are our citizens. We have to try to avoid such situations at all cost,” he said.

Parliament would be willing to coordinate with the government in tackling the violence if deemed necessary, he said.

He called on the media to play a role in finding a solution because religious conflict could harm the country’s reform process.

“Parliament does not harbour the idea of veering off the democratisation process,” he said, allaying concerns that unrest might derail democracy.

He admitted, however, that the government did not brief the legislators on the unrest and that he had to monitor the situation through news reports on the Internet.