Representatives of the People elected to the Parliament in the 1990  multiparty democratic elections

(Committee Representing Parliament)

 

Notification  63 (11/99)

 

 

1.  The Shan National League for Democracy, the Arakan League for Democracy, the Mon National Democracy Front, the Zomi National Congress and the National League for Democracy are political parties which were formed to establish and advance a genuine democratic system in the country.

 

2.  To achieve the above objective, there has to be a parliament.  Therefore, general elections were held in 1990 in which the above parties contested.

 

3.  The general elections were successfully accomplished but a parliament has not been convened.  The military authorities who decreed the People's Parliament Election Law and conducted the general elections should have taken steps to convene parliament in accordance with the provisions of the law they promulgated and flouted.

 

4.  At the time of the elections, the political parties issued manifestos promising their constituents political changes to be accomplished through the parliament that would be formed.  Therefore the political parties repeatedly and in very strong terms urged the military authorities to convene parliament.  But they have shut their eyes and ignored these requests.  Under these circumstances, the above political parties deemed it their bounden duty to act on behalf of the people and formed the Committee Representing the People's Parliament.

 

5.  That political parties should act on behalf of the people is a notion which the military authorities are totally opposed to.  Therefore the military intelligence arm of the army

(a) Illegally arrested and held in their custody Dr. Saw Mya Aung, aged 82 years, (Chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy) for a period of 13 months.

(b) Chairman of the Mon National Democracy Front, Mr Naing Htoon Thein, aged  82 years and Chairman of the Zomi National Congress, Pu Kyint Shin Htan were also illegally arrested and held. They were released for medical treatment and though they informed the authorities after receiving treatment that they were prepared to be re-arrested no action was taken.

(c) However, on 3 November 1999, without showing any cause the above two have been re-arrested and taken into custody.

 

6. The inevitable fact is that all the nationalities must work together with solidarity for the stability of the country. Arresting and imprisoning leaders of the different nationalities reflects a very narrow-minded mentality.  By so doing the critical social, economic and political problems that the country now faces can never be solved. The solving of a country's extremely important issues are prevented and hampered.

 

7. Political means must be utilized to obtain unity and stability. It must be accepted that striking at each other with military strength by armed groups and achieving "cease fire" agreements, making temporary

allowances for mutual economic advantage is not the answer for long term peace and stability. Achieving genuine stability and unity of the  nationalities is a political affair.

 

8.  We therefore emphatically urge that the leaders of the nationalities who have been arrested and held in custody be immediately and unconditionally released.

 

 

Committee Representing Parliament

20 November 1999

 

(Distributed by the National League for Democracy)