March 23, Asian Tribune - The draft constitution of Burma's military
rulers - Ahmedur Rahman Farooq
Once upon a time, a lion, a leopard and a jackal entered into an alliance
to
go on the hunt together. They went out around the forests and hunted a
deer,
a goat and a hen. At the end of the day, they sat together to share
the preys. The lion asked the leopard to distribute the preys into three
shares with fair justice. The leopard said, it would be justifiable to put
the deer for the lion, the goat for himself and the hen for the jackal.
But
before, he could finish his verdict, the lion jumped upon the leopard with
a
big roar and torn his body into pieces. The jackal was standing near by
trembling in fear. Then the lion asked the jackal to distribute and then
the
jackal said, it would be the best if you take the hen for your breakfast,
the goat for your lunch and the deer for your dinner. Then the lion said
to
the jackal with a smile, "You are really wise. Where did you learn such a
nice distribution with fair justice". The jackal retorted, "I have learned
it from your paws reddened with the bloods of the leopard". Such is the
case
in the pro-military constitution which has been drafted by a military
appointed forum and now which is set for approval during the May
plebiscite
to be followed by elections in 2010. The only difference is that the
jackal
was deprived of his share and here those who have drafted the constitution
enjoy all types of modern amenities and gracious life styles, taking part
in
keeping the military machinery of repression alive decades after decades.
The ruling generals provide them unlimited op****tunity to let them pass
their life in celestial delight while these people pave all the ways for
the
army to perpetuate their gun control, pu****ng the common people to
destitution and widespread poverty accompanied by the destruction of the
entire political system and the administration of justice. However, on
February 19.2008, Burma's military government announced that work had been
completed on writing the draft of the proposed new constitution. The state
radio and television said the 54-member Constitution Drafting Commission
finished the draft after working on it for more than two months. Burma's
Chief Justice and Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission, Aung
Toe, announced the charter's completion on state radio and television news
broadcasts. Aung Toe said the draft was drawn up with the objective of
ensuring a leading role in politics for the military. The guidelines for a
new constitution were adopted by a stage-managed farcical National
Convention last year after 14 years of on-and-off meetings, where the
military hand-picked delegates have attended. In fact, the draft
constitution contains all the provisions to glorify the militarism in the
governance in the guise of so-called "disciplined democracy". It is a
blue-print for the army to legitimize its grip on power for indefinite
period and where the head of the army will be the most powerful person in
the country, with the ability to appoint key cabinet figures and suspend
the
constitution in the event of an emergency that he defines. It also bars
Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi from running in election whose party NLD won more than 80
percent of the vote in the general elections in 1990, a total of 392 out
of
the 485 seats contested in the 492-member assembly. And most im****tantly,
the military rulers did not allow any input from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or
her
party NLD as well as other democratic and ethnic groups while drafting the
state constitution. Burma has been in a political deadlock since the
military refused to recognize the election results of 1990 and in order to
facilitate a national reconciliation on the democratic reforms, the UN
Chief
has appointed Ibrahim Gambari as an special envoy to Burma, after the
military rulers violently quashed peaceful protests last September 2007
which was led by the revered monks. But during the recent visit of the UN
envoy to Burma, it became further clear that the military rulers will not
accept any role of the United Nations in determining the course of the
country's political transition to what the ruling generals call
"seven-point
road map to democracy". Ibrahim Gambari, the Nigerian diplomat, who has
recently completed his third visit to Burma, proposed a more inclusive
process of political change in the country and offered to send monitors to
ensure that the outcome of the junta's planned referendum on the draft
constitution is accepted as legitimate. The junta said "no" to both
suggestions. Gambari met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi twice during his
five-day
trip, but was denied a meeting with the junta's supreme leader, Snr-Gen
Than
Shwe. Instead, he met with the members of the regime's "Spokes
Authoritative
Team," consisting of Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan, Foreign
Minister Nyan Win and Culture Minister Maj-Gen Khin Aung Myint. During the
meeting with the UN Envoy Ibrahim Gambari, junta's Information Minister
Kyaw
Hsan gave a clear message that the junta does not appreciate international
interference in its affairs. He accused the UN of being biased against the
regime. The state-run mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar, published the
full text of Kyaw Hsan's indignant reaction to Gambari's role in releasing
a
statement from Aung San Suu Kyi following his last visit. "Sadly, you went
beyond your mandate," said the information minister in his carefully
worded
reproach. "Some even believe that you prepared the statement in advance
and
released it after coordinating with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." he added. Kyaw
Hsan went on to accuse the UN envoy of trying to "frame a pattern desired
by
western countries." He also turned down a request by UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki Moon that the regime amend the draft constitution to "ensure
inclusiveness". In a letter dated February 19.2008 to Burma's military
supremo Senior General Than Shwe, the UN secretary general called for an
amendment to the current draft constitution that would drop a clause
excluding all Burmese nationals married to foreigners from running for
election - paving the way for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to contest the planned
2010 polls. He urged the UN envoy to sup****t the junta's "seven step" road
map and stop pursuing alternatives suggested by western democracies. "We
shall not accept any attempt to hinder or reverse the process of the
seven-step Road Map. However, we will heartily welcome the positive
suggestions of the UN to help implement the seven-step Road Map," Kyaw
Hsan
said. Asked by Gambari to consider releasing political prisoners-estimated
by the UN and human rights groups to total more than 1,100-Kyaw Hsan said
Burma has no political prisoners and that Suu Kyi was detained because she
tried to disrupt the country's stability.
Similar arrogant remarks came from Thaung Nyunt, a member of the
commission responsible for holding the referendum when Gambari met with
him
after meeting with Kyaw Hsan's team and offered UN technical
assistance and help with facilitating observers at the planned referendum.
Rejecting the offer of Gambari for international monitoring of the
forthcoming referendum in May, Thaung Nyung said, "Holding the referendum
on the constitution is within the country's sovereignty and for internal
affairs in the past, we have never had observers from outside." He also
said, "We have enough experience, but we take note of your offer."
Nevertheless, the junta's rejections of Gambari's suggestions caused a
death
blow to the mission of the UN envoy. It gave clear message that the ruling
generals will do everything in their own way and they are not at
all interested in listening to what the international community says. The
junta's snub of Gambari made it further clear that the door for national
reconciliation is no more open and that there can be no more development
in the mission and mandate of the UN envoy. However, the announcement of
referendum of the military rulers is, in fact, a declaration of war
against
the people of Burma. It will further aggravate the country's political,
economic and social crisis. Now, it is time for all the democratic forces
of
Burma to take pragmatic actions to
foil the referendum bid of the military rulers on this pro-military draft
constitution and to turn it into a flashpoint for unprecedented
anti-government protests both at home and abroad.# Ahmedur Rahman Farooq,
Chairman, Rohingya Human Rights Council (RHRC).
|
