Since New Mon State Party (NMSP) is not accepting Burmese military dominated 2008 Constitution, it needs to be careful in participating in peace dialogue with the military junta, State Administrative Council (SAC), and it also needs to re-define its political strategies, suggested by Mon political analysts.
“As far as I know, NMSP is not accepting the 2008 Constitution. NMSP is an armed organization and they are different from in-country registered political parties. I think they should reconsider meeting with SAC and find out a new strategy along with other ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs), as said by Dr. Ponnya Mon, Executive Director of Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC) of Burma.
Recently, even though 10 political and civil society organizations urged to NMSP to not have meeting with SAC, but the NMSP peace delegate led by Vice Chairman Nai Aung Min, met with junta, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, in Nay Pyi Daw, on October 11 to 13.
NMSP peace delegate also issued a Statement on October 15 after peace dialogue, and expressed that they have asked SAC leaders to include all stakeholders in the peace dialogue including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and democratic oppositions. Then, they also asked SAC to clarify more on the power sharing in the 2008 Constitution and amendments to include the agreements in peace accords in the recent Panglong Peace Conference.
Another Mon political analyst said, “I am a bit confused. I am not sure whether they (NMSP delegate) are discussing on amendments of 2008 Constitution or they are talking about peace? If they go along with the 2008 Constitution, we could not expect genuine Federalism in our country. I am just concerned the NMSP will be caught into a political trap”.
Dr. Ponnya Mon, added that there has been a failure in peace process, as the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), a coordinating body of ethnic armed organizations those signed ceasefire agreement, could not lead the process; a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) was violated and the SAC is intending to strengthening 2008 Constitution for their power in the future. He suggested that NMSP needed to find new political strategies by cooperating to Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs) to seek a common ground for the Federal Democratic of Burma.
The NMSP was founded in 1958 with political objectives to fight for liberation of Mon people and self-determination in Mon territory in southern Burma/Myanmar. It agreed for a ceasefire agreement with previous military regimes in 1995 and signed NCA in 2018, and then it chose to participate in peace dialogues but not violent fighting against the junta.
