CRPP Notification 34 translated

[nldburma@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Committee representing members of People's Parliament elected in the 1990 
multi-party general elections
(Committee representing People's Parliament)

NOTIFICATION 34(5/99) (translation)
Dialogue and Parliament

1.  The National League for Democracy has since 1988 to this date been
endeavoring to have talks with the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (now the State Peace and Development Council). The NLD's firm
belief is that only through dialogue and exchange of views in relation
to matters that effect the country can appropriate implementation for
the benefit of the country be achieved.

2.  On this matter of dialogue, the National League for Democracy has
never ever in any way deviated, prevented, opposed, or refused to
cooperate. For genuine dialogue it is necessary to have mutual respect,
openness and honesty with the good of the country being the first
consideration. The NLD has made no pre-conditions for this form of
dialogue.

3.  The desire for dialogue was not suspended during the period of the
General Secretary's house arrest, which commenced on the 20 July 1989.
For example, the State, Division, Township members of the NLDA held
special meetings on 26 and 27 January 1990 for the specific purpose of
creating harmony and resolutions were taken to create understanding
between the authorities, democratic forces and those who were intensely
clamoring for democracy.

4. The NLD participated in the multi-party general elections and
conformed to the rules and regulations prescribed by the authorities
because they were convinced that political issues must be resolved
through a political process. The General Secretary herself complied with
the decision of the Central Executive Committee and submitted her
application to stand as a candidate in accordance with the rules.

5.  The NLD won 392 seats out of 485. After an election, a parliament is
convened - this is the usual practice in a democratic system and it
happened in Burma before. There is no meaning in having an election if
parliament is not to be convened after that. The Pyithu Hluttaw Election
law specifically provides that "the Pyithu Hluttaw shall be formed with
the Hluttaw representatives who have been elected according to this law
from the constituencies"

6.  Two months after the elections, NLD elected representatives and the
Central Executive Committee held a meeting at the Ghandi Hall ,
Kyauktada township, Yangon to convene Parliament in accordance with the

provisions of this law.

7. 	(a) 	They did not discard the NLD policy of dialogue. Their purpose
was to discuss two issues - dialogue and convening of parliament. A
resolution taken then was "......... to bring about reconciliation
amongst all the citizens and with the present and future benefit of the
nation as our main consideration, with complete good will the NLD will
seek dialogue for open and honest discussions and negotiations and for
that purpose we will follow the principles of
(1) Frankness in discussions.
(2) Reconciliation of all the citizens.
(3) Application of peaceful means.
(4) Without feelings of revenge or hatred to obtain harmony.
(5) Mutual respect.
(6) Mutual cooperation.
(7) Mutual understanding.
(b) 	The State Law and Order Restoration Council made no response to the 
above resolution.
(c) 	At the Ghandi meeting, the NLD called on the authorities for
dialogue and to convene parliament.  Both these requests have been
totally denied up to date.

8. To avoid the emergence of a Pyithu Hluttaw, the authorities created a
National Convention, for which there was no provision of law. That
commenced in January 1993 and has not been completed till date. The
NLD's attempts to talk to the authorities about conforming to prescribed
procedures were rebuffed.

9.  Chairman of the NLD U Aung Shwe a one-time senior and responsible
member of both the Myanmar Lanzin Party and the administrative body has
made personal representations for dialogue but this also has failed.

10.  Bohmu Aung (one of the thirty comrades) and his organisaton of
veteran politicians have written repeatedly to the SPDC for dialogue
between them, the NLD and the Nationalities but to no avail.

11.  The NLD has always asked and still asks for dialogue. One of the
foreign missions that has close contact with the SPDC suggested that as
a preliminary measure, lower level talks should take place. NLD has
replied in the affirmative and this has been conveyed to the
authorities.  Still, the authorities have failed to respond.  Therefore
it is obvious that they do not want lower level talks.

12.  The NLD also agreed to a suggestion put to it by a very senior
representative of a foreign mission that first and foremost talks be
confined to one issue only. Nothing developed.  The presumption is that
the SPDC is opposed to such talks.

13. 	(a)  	In 1998 the chairman extended an invitation to the authorities
for informal talks to be held at his residence with an equal number of
persons holding equal positions on both sides.  Again the authorities
failed to respond.
(b) 	Resolutions passed by the several organs of the United Nations have 
been that talks between the following should take place:-
(1) The National League for Democracy headed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
(2) The Nationalities
(3) The military authorities.
(c) 	The authorities have disregarded these resolutions. A representative of 
the UN Secretary-General urged the authorities to start dialogue but this 
too has been disregarded. The SLORC/SPDC has not want dialogue is a fact 
that Burma knows and the world knows.
(d) 	The NLD has published a statement dated 13 May 1996 under the heading 

"Efforts for dialogue by the NLD" wherein the reader will
discover the importance of dialogue to NLD.

14.  Being conscious of its duties, the NLD wrote to the authorities on
25 March 1996 urging that "arrangements be made for a consultative
meeting with Pyithu Hluttaw representatives to fix a date for the
holding of the first meeting of the Pyithu Hluttaw". No response at all
was received from the authorities.  Then on the 23 June 1998, a letter
was addressed to the authorities who according to law had the duty to
establish a parliament to "convene the Pyithu Hluttaw before the 21
August 1998".  They failed to perform their duty according to law.
Consequently on 21 August an announcement was made that the National
League for Democracy and the elected members of the Nationalitieswould
convene a Pyithu Hluttaw before long.

15.  	In accordance with the policy of the NLD, the chairman accepted the
invitation of Secretary 1 of the SPDC and met with him on 18 May 1998.
Secretary 1 said that he desired that there should be mutual "confidence
building" to which the chairman's response was that a first step towards
this would be an immediate release of all political prisoners. Secretary
1 then said he would give the matter his consideration. On the subject
of convening parliament Secretary1 was of the view that it was
premature. To this the NLD chairman's remark was that eight years had
gone by since the holding of the elections and it was time. Secretary 1
had nothing to say.

16.  	It was mutually agreed that the discussions at the meeting would
not be publicised. But within minutes of the meeting the authorities
broke the pact of silence with announcements in the newspapers and
additional news about "series of meetings' to follow which was never
discussed.

17.  	No one can deny the fact that from the very beginning NLD has never
swerved from its policy of approaching the issue of convening of
parliament simultaneously with the issue of dialogue. But the
authorities want neither dialogue nor parliament to convene so they have
resorted to every strategy.

18. 	To defend and preserve the Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law and for the
observance of the rule of law, the Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy, the Rakhine Democracy League, the Mon National Democratic
Front and the Zo-me National Congress addressed a letter to the SPDC to
convene the Pyithu Hluttaw. The authorities gave no reply. Therefore in
the absence of a Pyithu Hluttaw, and to enable them to perform their
duties to their electorate they combined with the National League for
Democracy in forming the "Committee representing the Pyithu Hluttaw that
was elected in the 1990 multi-party general elections (Committee
Representing the Pyithu Hluttaw)"

19. 	Just as much as it is the legal responsibility of the State Peace
and Development Council, it is the duty of those representatives elected
in free and fair elections to convene the Pyithu Hluttaw.  Therefore,
the National League for Democracy and the parties from the nationalities
have combined to bring about the establishment of a Pyithu Hluttaw. As a
result, the authorities who have never had the intention of calling a

Pyithu Hluttaw, illegally arrested and kept in detention the peoples
elected representatives.

20.  	Against those representatives that will not toe their line or be
taken in by them, as a next step the authorities are resorting to
tactics to divert attention from the need to convene parliament.

21.	No matter what, the Committee Representing the Pyithu Hluttaw will
work together with loyal countrymen, elected representatives of the
Hluttaw, and political parties who have given their allegiance to the
cause.  We will join hands with the people and establish democracy by
continuing the policy of dialogue and successfully creating the Pyithu
Hluttaw.

Committee rerpresenting People?s Parliament

Rangoon
May 27, 1999

(Responsibility for distribution and publication is taken by the NLD).



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