Quota for Military in Myanmar Parli

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Subject: Quota for Military in Myanmar Parliament


QUOTA FOR MILITARY IN MYANMAR PARLIAMENT
THE HINDU, Saturday, March 30, 1996.
 
>From V. Jayanth
 
SINGAPORE, March 29.
The decision of the National Convention of Myanmar to provide a quota for 
the 
armed forces in future parliaments is much on excepted lines.
 
After dragging its feet for a few months, following the pull out of the 
opposition National League for Democracy, the National Convention has 
obviously resumed its task of dragging a new constitution.
 
The chairman of the commission that convenes the body, Mr. Aung Toe, 
explained in Yangon that a fourth of the seats in the proposed bicameral 
legislature would be reserved for the military.
 
The convention has suggested that 110 of the 440 seats in the elected 
House of 
Representatives would go to the armed forces, while the remaining 330 
would 
be elected. Similarly, in the Upper House, to be named the House of 
Nationalities, 56 out of the 224 seats would go to military appointees.
 
The House of  Nationalities would not only be an Upper House, but also 
the 
chamber to provide representation for the numerous minorities, tribes and 
ethnic groups.
 
It is considered significant that even the smaller political groups and 
parties 
that still continue in the National Convention have opposed the 
reservation of 
the seats for the military. About 30 delegates who present groups such as 
Shan 
National League for Democracy, Shan State Kokang Democratic Party, the Wa 
National Development Party and the Lahu National Development Party __ 
from 
the tribal provinces __ opposed the move and called for direct election 
of all 
members to Parliament.
 
The moot question is whether the currently 600 plus member convention 
will 
take cognisance of the Opposition  just 30 members. And if their protest 
is also 
brushed aside, what will these five parties do? Will they accept it or 
also pull 
out from the body, making it a totally military apparatus?
 
Source in the National League for Democracy of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, when 
contacted in Yangon said, This was only expected. The juntas view are 
well 
known and they have made it their objective to constitutionally provide a 
role 
for the armed forces in political administration of the State. We are not 
surprised, nor are we concerned about these moves. It has no relevance to 
the 
people and we do not recognise the convention.
 
Western diplomats in Yangon described the move as another step towards 
enacting a constitution and paving the way for elections at a time 
convenient 
for the junta.
 
They said the concept of providing a role to the military was not new to 
the 
region. We have the Indonesian forces, the Abri, presented in Parliament. 
Under pressure, Mr. Suharto has only agreed to prune their strength from 
100 
to 75. Similarly, the Senate in Thailand was packed with officers from 
the 
armed forces. Only now, the Prime Minister has slashed their 
representation 
from around 70 to just about 40, they noted.
 
The diplomats said it was not clear when the National Convention would 
complete its task and hand in the draft constitution to the State Law and 
Order 
Restoration Council (SLORC). It was entirely the convenience of the junta 
to 
push the pace or delay the constitution. The SLORC had committed itself 
to 
holding a democratic election on the basic of a new constitution. And 
this 
decision to earmark a 25 per cent quota for the military would be a step 
in that 
direction.
 
The convention was up set in 1992 and began its sittings from January 
1993. It 
has met intermittently to draft the new constitution. The main opposition 
National League for Democracy quit the convention late last year 
withdrawing 
it nearly 90 members from the body.
 
On its part, the convention expelled them for not attending two 
consecutive 
days sitting without leave and decided to go ahead with its work.
 
Political circles said it remained to be seen if the junta would decide 
to speed up 
the constitution-making process and call for an election to secure a 
democratic 
grab and retain its hold. How the Opposition will react to such a process 
and 
whether a Bangladesh type of protest would follow were still points of 
speculation in Yangon __ too early as well to talk of polls.
 
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