Hluttaw Session Halted After Complaints of Lack of Transparency

Hluttaw Session Halted After Complaints of Lack of Transparency
by -
S.H.A.N

The Shan State Hluttaw session was halted on 4 April, its ninth day, due to a lack of transparency in a proposal to form eight ministries for the Shan State government. MPs said they were not given enough notice to review the proposal.

Former Shan State Chief Minister and current State Hluttaw Deputy Speaker U Sao Aung Myat told the parliament that State Hluttaw MPs should have been informed one day ahead, adding that the majority of the MPs on leave during the parliamentary session were from an ethnic Shan party. Citing the importance of such matters, all the MPs need to be present when the proposal is being discussed, said Myat.

“As no announcement has been made (in advance) concerning the proposed eight ministers, transparency is needed between our State Hluttaw MPs over this issue. Whether this (proposal) came as a top secret from our President, or from a restricted level, the State Hluttaw is the highest session for our Shan State. It should be a program where the state chief minister submits the (proposed) name list for the ministers only after these ministries have been clarified (in the parliament).”

U Aung Than Htut from Laukkai Constituency – 1 told parliament that he only learned about the program after arriving for the recent session. He called this kind of approach undemocratic and for proceedings to be conducted fairly by giving all MPs sufficient notice.

“We only knew about it today (April 4) and most of the MPs on leave are from the SNLD (Shan Nationalities League for Democracy). That’s why we submitted to the parliament because we want everyone to be present when making important decisions. We submitted what should be practical for the ethnic Shan people,” he told the Shan Herald.

Of the one-hundred and thirty-seven MPs in the Shan State Hluttaw, twenty-seven were absent; mainly from SNLD.

The deputy speaker suggested that parliament give at least three days to the MPs to decide whether or not they would approve the ministers but first after being informed of the nomination list. Despite these complaints parliament resumed today (April 5).

Edited by BNI Staff

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