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

Rangoon May 27, 1999

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