THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Peace and stability assured without charter changes: military MPs

Peace and stability assured without charter changes: military MPs

The military's suggestion to not amend Myanmar's constitution is aimed at developing a multi-party democratic system in a peaceful and stable manner, military MP Brigadier General Tint Soe said on Monday.

 
The MP’s remark came during a discussion about the charter change report submitted by the Constitutional Amendment Committee at a session of Union Parliament in Nay Pyi Taw. Military representatives - whose veto on charter change is guaranteed by the constitution - spoke out against amending a clause which bans opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from high political office, during the heated debate that could have a major bearing on the country's future after crucial 2015 elections.
On November 13, military MPs agreed not to amend Section 436 and Section 59 (F) in the 2008 Constitution – the key areas that guarantee the military 25 per cent of parliament seats and prohibit opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from contending for the presidency in 2015.
House Speaker Shwe Mann on Tuesday confirmed in the capital Nay Pyi Taw that there will be no changes to the constitution before national elections next year. DPA quoted Shwe Mann as saying "We do not have enough time to amend the constitution before 2015 general election. So, constitutional amendment would be only under the new government term.”
“The suggestions by the military MPs to leave these sections of the constitution unchanged are motivated by our wish to facilitate the multi-party democratic transition in a peaceful and stable way,” said Brig-Gen Tint Soe during the discussion.  
“In the international community, there are many examples of the military stepping in to resolve a crisis in a last-ditch attempt if the crisis cannot be resolved politically. Throughout Myanmar’s history, the military has been deployed when talks failed to resolve political and racial differences,” the general continued.
According to Tint Soe, the constitution should remain as it is so that he military can cooperate in promoting social security and economic development of the country by playing a part in the legislative and administrative sectors.  
"I would like you all to remember that the constitution is not written for just one person but for the future of everyone," Colonel Htay Naing told MPs on Monday.
He added it would be "concerning if the children of our country's president were foreign citizens". 
However, another military MP Colonel Khin Maung Tun said the military does not intend to preserve the current constitution permanently. He said the committee had been told that the constitution would be amended at the appropriate time.  
Ethnic Shan MP Sai Thiha Kyaw said that both state and military leaders should consider the public desire for constitutional change.  
Myanmar has been ruled under a single party system since the military coup of 1962. The country experienced yet another coup in 1988. Government mismanagement and corruption after the coups led to losses of the country’s natural resources. For example, only 25 per cent of Myanmar’s original forest area remains intact, compared with about 70 per cent in 1962. 
Before the 1962 coup, Myanmar was considered an exemplary democracy and rising economy in Asia. But now, just five decades later, the country is listed among the poorest countries in Southeast Asia with about 6 million migrant workers abroad. 
Under current circumstances, some fear that another coup will occur, while others still view the ruling quasi-civilian government as being on the path toward democracy.  
Section 436 (a) states that amending a provision in a spate of sections required the approval of more than 75 per cent of the Union Parliament. Without the military support, a change is impossible as the military now controls 25 per cent of the parliamentary seats. This will bar the proposed amendment in Section 59 (f), which stipulates the president’s qualification. It rules out anyone with foreign spouse or children from the presidency.
Earlier, the parliamentary Committee for Implementation of 2008 Constitution Amendment proposed the amendment to the section, with support from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) supports amending Section 436. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) also gathered nearly 6 million signatures to support the amendment.
The military MPs’ defiance to public pressure followed a report that Washington prefers to get its hands off Myanmar’s domestic politics. When meeting Suu Kyi at her residence, US President Barack Obama said "I don't understand a provision that would bar someone from being president because of who their children are - that doesn't make much sense to me.” He told reporters so, without naming her.
 
 
 
RELATED
nationthailand