Suu Kyi to host dinner for military lawmakers
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Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has invited military lawmakers to dinner in a bid to build ties ahead of a proposed summit on changing the constitution, which bars her from the presidency, a senior member of her party said on Thursday.
On Thursday evening, Suu Kyi hopes to dine in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, with unelected military MPs who hold a quarter of parliamentary seats, said Nyan Win, a spokesman for her National League for Democracy Party (NLD).
"It will be our first meeting with the military lawmakers," Nyan Win told Reuters. "We're not going to talk about any serious matters, but I'm sure it will definitely promote mutual understanding."
Suu Kyi has endorsed reforms by the semi-civilian government of former general Thein Sein. But as the general election is scheduled for late 2015, military MPs have put a brake on the proposed amendments to the military-drafted constitution.
As Suu Kyi and Parliament acknowledged that the election would be held under the military-drafted constitution, there was an attempt to smoothen growing public dissent.
On Tuesday, parliament unanimously endorsed talks among Suu Kyi, President Thein Sein, the speakers of the two houses of parliament, military chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, and a member of a party representing an ethnic minority. This followed an 11-party meeting, held before the Asean Summit took place earlier this month.
The meeting - the second and potentially most important meeting of top officials since the end of army rule.
"We heard that they are going to meet on coming November 28," said Nyan Win, but was unable to confirm an exact schedule.
"It's not just us - the whole country is watching this development with great interest," he said.
Andrew McLeod, director of the Myanmar program at the law faculty of Oxford University, said the talks would be "significant", but warned against putting too much emphasis on them, especially in light of next year's general election.
"I don't think anybody really thinks it's feasible to have constitutional change before the election," he said.
Last week the country's powerful parliamentary speaker Thura Shwe Mann said there would be a referendum on proposed amendments in May 2015, but ruled out enacting any significant changes before the November election.
Parliament will select a president after the poll, which is seen as a key test of Myanmar's emergence from outright military rule, a process which began in 2011.
In a related development, there is preparation for the debate on proposed amendments.
Nanda Kyaw Swar, chairman of Myanmar’s Constitutional Amendment Committee, on November 26 tabled a motion to the Union parliament calling for measures to accept and discuss a bill to amend the constitution during the 12th parliamentary session.
The measures would be adopted during the discussion of 140 MPs on the amendments of Sections 433, 434, 435 and 436 based on the committee’s report.
Nanda Kyaw Swar said the report on charter change was based on discussions and debates within his 31-member committee and MPs from various political parties.
He added that his committee had no authority to draft a bill to amend the constitution but that the report was complied with three objectives - adapting the constitution to suit current circumstances, ensuring lasting peace by strengthening national reconciliation and moving forward with democratisation.
He said the proposal was made so that the bill to amend the constitution could be submitted to the Union parliament during its 12thsession.
Parliament approved the proposal as no MPs made an objection.
