NBF’s released statement (Photo:NBF)

During last week’s meeting to reshuffle the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi announced that only the representatives of political parties that have won at least one seat in the election will be allowed to participate in the ‘21st Century Panglong Conference’, also known as the Union Peace Conference. Representatives of political parties who won no seats in the elections will not be allowed to take part in the conference.

The NBF members claim, in their statement released on 31 May that this is a violation of Section 22 (a) of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

This states that representatives from: the government, the Hluttaws (parliaments), the Tatmadaw (Burma Army) and ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) should attend the Union Peace Conference, along with representatives from registered political parties, ethnic representatives and other relevant representatives to ensure that political dialogue is all-inclusive.

Nai Chan Toi, an NBF member and Vice Chairman of the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP) said: “[Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s remarks on] selecting only the winning parties and allowing only the winning parties to participate in the reshuffle of the UPDJC….If you take a look at the NCA, it didn’t say that. All ethnic political parties have the right to participate. If only the political parties that have won in the election are to be selected without following the NCA, this is a violation of the NCA.”

The 26th regular meeting of the NBF was held at the Orchid Hotel in Rangoon from 30 to 31 May and leaders of 20 of the 23 member parties attended and discussed the released statement.

Nai Chan Toi Said: “In the past, the UPDJC was formed with a voting system. There were over 90 political parties back then. If they [the Burmese government] doesn’t like an excess [number of parties], they can allow the winning parties to vote and the parties can vote on their own. But, now the government is going to do the selection so it seems like the political parties don’t have the right to create their own destiny.”

After the NCA was signed between the government and eight EAOs on 15 October 2015 the UPDJC was formed on 16 October 2015 with a mandate, as agreed in the NCA, to draft the framework for political dialogue within 60 days and to start political dialogue within 90 days.

On 31 May the Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw announced the formation of a preparation committee and a sub-committee for the Union Peace Conference.

The members of the NBF are the Chin National Party, the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the Inn National Development Party, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party, the Kayan National Party, the Tai-Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party, the Danu Nationalities Democracy Party, Asho Chin National Party, Ta’ang (Palaung) National Party, PaO National Organization, the All Mon Region Democracy Party, Wa Democratic Party, Wa National Unity Party, and Ethnic Nationalities Development Party.

Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI