JUNTA’S NATIONAL CONVENTION IS SHAM AND UNACCEPTABLE

Burmese military junta’s recent announcement of its plan to restart the state-orchestrated National Convention to draw up a new constitution as a first step of the proposed roadmap is nothing but a desperate political design to nullify the 1990 general election results, gain legitimacy and prolong military rule in Burma.

“This is part of the delayed and diversion tactics that the generals have been playing for over the past fifteen years. Reviving the sham National Convention is absolutely unacceptable as it is un-elected and unrepresented. The draft constitution presented to the media has been fully drafted by the military without any significant assistance from the National Convention”, said Daniel Aung, MPU Vice-President and former participant of the National Convention.

Since January 1993 the military junta has been drafting a new constitution with predominantly hand-picked delegates to legitimize an undemocratic constitution entrenching a “leading role in national politics” for the military.

All suggestions, proposals and advices of genuine people’s representatives (MPs) and political parties’ representatives at the National Convention were simply ignored by the military. So the convention lacks any credibility as a constitutional- making body.

The NLD had informed the junta about the undemocratic practices and lack of proper representation at the convention and had sought talks to thrash out the matter. Instead of responding to the NLD, the junta gave a deadline for the NLD to rejoin the convention and later unilaterally expelled it in late 1995. Although the junta suspended the National Convention, it has been trying to reconvene it to formally endorse the drafted constitution.

“The plan of reconvening the sham National Convention clearly indicates that the junta has no political will to bring about the genuine political reform and national reconciliation through meaningful dialogue. Therefore, we call on the Burmese democracy movement and the international community to step up the concerted and coordinated actions for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and for a UN-mediated and internationally supported plan for democratization in Burma to begin immediately”, said Daniel Aung.

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For further information, please contact:
1. Mr. Maung Maung Latt (Secretary of MPU), Mobile: (+66) 1 733 3891 (Thailand)
2. Dr. Myint Cho (Director of MPU), Tel/Fax: (+61-2) 9646 1211 (Australia) or
Mobile (+61) 402 135 767