Bigger political chance for Suu Kyi?

 

Committee secretary Aye Mauk said last week that the report submitted to Parliament was the result of 46 meetings since February, when the committee was formed. Suggested amendments came from the public, civic organisations, political parties and military-appointed MPs.

The committee also suggested changes to Section 436, which requires more than 75 per cent of MPs to approve any amendment of the military drafted charter, which also gives the military 25 per cent Parliament’s seats.

Suu Kyi told reporters that she and her party members would discuss details of the report before they debate it in Parliament.

Last month, the committee said that the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) supports amending Section 436 of the constitution, the key part which controls changes to other clauses. Though, concerning Section 59 (f) which bars nationals whose spouse or children are foreign citizens from becoming president, the party has suggested that amending it could be considered at some time in the future.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy has called for Section 59 (f) to be scrapped. 

Both of Suu Kyi’s sons hold British passports, while her deceased husband was a British national.

A number of political protests in the past months were devoted to the proposed charter amendments. Nearly 5 million people supported NLD’s campaign to have Section 436 amended.

The section requires votes from either two-thirds or more than half of all the representatives of Union parliament to amend the charter. This would be followed by a nation-wide referendum that would require more than 50 per cent of all votes to support the amendment. 

Aye Mauk quoted Lower House speaker Thura Shwe Mann as saying the charter amendment process must be completed six months before the general election scheduled for late next 2015. The Union Election Commission last week announced the last week of October or the first week of November 2015 as the tentative election date.