Measures to resolve conflict between ethnic minorities and the government must be included in any amendments to the constitution, a conference in Yangon was told on December 16.
Amendments to the constitution should also provide for the creation of a federal state, said U Harn Yawnghwe, the executive director of the Brussels-based Euro-Burma Office, established in 1997 to promote democracy in Myanmar.
Speaking on the first day of a five-day workshop at the Inya Lake Hotel on conflict resolution and peace-building in Myanmar, U Harn Yawnghwe said there was much discussion about amending the constitution but it was not addressing the most important issue.
“What will they amend?” he said. “Will they amend only the provisions barring Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president? Or will they amend the widely criticized provisions on political domination by the military?”
U Harn Yawnghwe said the two issues were not the key points to resolving conflicts between ethnic minorities and the government.
“These points cannot resolve these issues; in reality, the key points are equality and the division of power between state and central governments and between ethnic nationalities and the government,” he said.
Ko Ko Gyi from 88-Generation Open Society organization told the workshop that democracy and federalism were key issues but in the changing political situation, politicians and individuals were becoming stronger while the legal framework and institutions remained weak.
This had created fragility in the reform process, which was a cause for concern, Ko Ko Gyi said.
Insisting on the need to amend the constitution, he said it had been enacted without reflecting the will of the people.
Ko Ko Gyi said there had been positive developments, including the release of political prisoners, the return to Myanmar with government approval of former political exiles, greater media freedom and the establishment of a parliamentary system.
“There are changes in the country but we have not yet achieved any political agreement,” he said, without elaborating.
“The talks are going on but there is no resolution and agreement yet, no advancement yet in these changes,” Ko Ko Gyi said. “Nothing is concrete and substantial.”
The workshop is being attended by representatives of ethnic organisations, political parties, civil society groups and specialists in conflict resolution.
