Myanmar national convention resuming to push forward roadmap process (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-12-05 10:25
Myanmar's national convention to lay down principles for a new state
constitution is due to resume its session in Yangon Monday morning after
eight-month adjournment since the end of March to push forward its roadmap
process to democracy.
The national convention, as the first step of the country's seven-point
political roadmap to democracy laid down by the government in August 2003,
formally resumed on May 17, 2004 after a long suspension since March 1996.
The remaining six steps of the roadmap are outlined as undergoing a national
referendum on draft of the constitution, holding a general election to produce
parliament representatives and forming a new democratic government.
Since the national convention first started in 1993, it has adopted 104 basic
principles for drafting the state constitution and detailed ones for seven
chapters -- "The State", "Structure of State", "Head of State", "Designation of
Self-Administered Divisions or Zones", "Formation of Legislature", "Formation of
Executive", "Formation of Judiciary", "Sharing of legislative power".
The resuming session at the Nyaunghnapin Camp, about 40 kilometers north of
Yangon, is to seek approval to lay down detailed basic principles for sharing
the executive and judicial powers, and discuss such principles for relations
among parliaments and the role of the Tatmadaw (armed forces) as a follow-up of
the previous phase.
More sessions will follow in the future to deal with citizens and fundamental
rights and responsibilities of citizens, elections, political parties,
prescriptions for the state of emergency, amendments of constitution, state
flag, state emblem, national anthem and capital as well as prescriptions in
transitional period.
At a press briefing last Saturday, government spokesmen said the holding of
the national convention is to give rise to a firm constitution for the
establishment of a discipline-flourishing democratic nation. However, no time
frame was revealed.
The officials also criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD) for
delaying the national convention process by a walk-out in 1995 and then in 2004
when the convention was first resumed. Along with the NLD, Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy (SNLD) and Shan State Kokang Democratic Party (SSKDP)
boycotted the convention.
The officials maintained that the national convention is only to work out the
principles and does not deal with the drawing up of the new constitution and
holding of referendum.
The officials disclosed that 1,088 delegates have been invited to attend the
resuming session of the national convention.
These invited delegates come from eight categories of delegate groups mainly
including political parties, representatives-elect ( in the 1990 general
election), state service personnel (including armymen) and invited individuals
(including turned-in former anti-government ethnic armed
groups).
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