“The
Draft Constitution was centralized; the State Supreme
Legislative Body has no power to do legislation”
Independent Mon News Agency
[
Some
of the voice of a representative at the Burmese Military Government National
Convention
These Questions and
Answers were written by a representative who attended the Burmese Military
Government National Convention as an ethnic national representative. He wrote
about his experience and sent it to the Independent Mon News Agency in his
own handwriting:
Question: Oldest brother,
you are so smart to come back from the National Convention (NC).
Answer: Sure… Why not?.
Q: How was the food and
place to stay in Nyaung Hnit
Pin?
A: Very, very good. The
cooks prepared many different kinds of food, not too fat, and if
you caught a little bit of a cold and cough, they carefully treated you very special and great.
Q: TV had a presentation on
the store, restaurant, playground and sport facilities in Nyaung
Hnit Pin.
A: Yes, everything you could
have.
Q: What did you play there
and what presents did you buy from there?
A: I bought nothing,
but people who can afford it could, and play golf. We had to pay for
everything. I think we could do business with the National Convention and
get a contract for business.
Q: Which party, oldest brother, invited you as a representative?
A: I was invited as an
ethnic representative.
Q: How was it organized?
A: The State Union
Solidarity Development Association (USDA) led the group, a
former state administer joined as vice group leader and others are
members. That is our state organization.
Q: Who pays the expense?
A: The Township Peace and
Development Council (PDC) paid 10,000 kyat for expenses for the trip to
the National Convention. They paid 20,000 kyat to other Township PDC trepresentatives, but they did not pay for the trip
back. When we took the trip back the group leader paid for us.
Q: Some people said the
government would give each representative a car and a telephone. Is it true?
A: I heard about that before
I joined the NC. When I came back here, many people asked me about that; a
car, a phone, also a house in
Q: How do you think the
government will give it to you?
A: Sometimes I thought about
that in my imagination. I told about it now because of you.
Q: If they give it, will you
accept it?
A: Hey, Hey. Why not. If the government will give it, all these NC
representatives are people who would like to have it.
Q: What do you think these
representatives can do for the people and country in the NC?
A: We have no right to do
anything. We can change nothing of the 1996 decision. They only allowed us
to criticize, analyze and suggest about it. But not to change
it.
Q: The 1996 constitution
draft was for a one state, one country system. That will not end the civil
war, you told us many times and regularly. At this NC did you you strongly criticize it or not?
A: I will explain it to you.
In this NC 633 for ethnic nationalities I attended, If
we count the number of representative, we would be very satisfied. But, of a
hundred of these representatives, only about five are interested
in politics. Of these five representatives it is difficult to have one who
understands about the constitution. Most of these representatives are
government employees, retired employees, Union Solidarity and Development
Association members and people who shared investments with military
leaders. They gave us the 1996 draft constitution. They told us to report
comments or suggestions (monograph) based on the
draft constitution. In addition, our
report has to be given to the convening committee. If the committee
accepts it, we can have a chance to read it in the NC. If the NC! does not accept the report, we have to rewrite it again. It
must be what they like.
Q: Does your report have to
be rewritten?
A: No. Our group agreed on the draft. We just
changed some words that did not change the meaning of the words used in the
draft constitution.
Q: Did you discuss with your
group the points that you did not agree on?
A: No.
Q: It means you agreed with
the draft.
A: Not like that. Some
points I would have liked to change, but our group leader denied it and said
that is not good. If we put in some changes the report will not be finished and
we would have to rewrite it. It would keep us busy, the group leader said. That
is why nobody cared or seriously discussed it.
Q: Did the report from the
representative groups have to be rewritten?
A: Yes. The 13 cease-fire
groups' report had to be rewritten. The committee denied some points. The convening
committee let the cease-fire groups ignore it and the cease-fire groups
had to ignore these points. And the cease-fire groups were not allowed to read
it out in the all-representative meeting.
Q: The government said the
draft constitution in this NC described the power given
the state better than the constitution written in the previous
government, and that the government was willing to share power with ethnic
state governments. What do you think?
A: I recognized and cared
about one point, the Union of State
Constitution would influence the state constitution if the state
constitution written by a state supreme
legislative body were opposite to the
Q: Is it right that people
say government authorities in the NC were very clever in using words when they
presented it to the NC?
A: Although they used very
great words in presenting it, they made selfish decisions and it was only
for propaganda. There were no presentations of what the people wanted and it
barred their right to present them. That’s why this NC has no credibility.
Q: Why did you attend
the NC?
A: They invited me.
Q: Although they invited you
why didn't you refuse to attend?
A: Because… one of the
Military Intelligence (MI) came to my home, but he did not meet me and left a
form to fill out about my biography with my family. The people in my home
worried about me, why MI asked me to fill out the form. When I arrived
home, I filled it out because I had enough experience (to know) that I had to
do what they wanted. On the next day MI took it. A week later, a Township Peace
and Development Council member came to my home and told me to go to the
Military Division Command office tomorrow. I went to the office. Ten
people were there, most of them Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA) members. The military did not talk to all of us together.
They talked one by one. When they called my name, I entered the room. The
Military Division Command commander and two colonels sat inside. When I sat
down, they started telling me that ! our country was not suitable to be a federation; if
changed to federal, the country would become uncontrollable. He said it
himself. I made no reply. And they asked me about my health, my personality and
was I able to work for two months. They asked if I
could go on a tour to meet people to get support?
I shortly replied and they said it was OK. I left the room and
returned to my home. About 10 days later, an invitation letter reached me to
attend the NC. All of the people I met in the commander's office were invited.
I asked a person invited who I know, "What did you imagine to present
in the NC?" He replied that he would go to present nothing. He would just
do as a chameleon who nods his head to mean yes. Do not say
anything, although you want to you can’t, he replied to me. That’s how I
became a representative and attended the NC.
Q: How do you hope this NC
can solve the
A: I can hope nothing.
Q: Will you attend the NC
again?
A: If they invite me, I
will. If they do not, I will not.
* End *
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contact to Independent Mon News Agency
Phone: 66 (0) 9 54 94 296
66 (0) 34 595 295
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* The text is undated. 18 October is the date it was posted on the Internet