New Delhi (Mizzima) – National League for Democracy top panel member Win Tin has criticised party deserters who have set up a new party but are still calling themselves “former NLD members”, calling them “crows in peacock feathers”.
Eleven former senior NLD leaders last week launched their National Democratic Force party to participate in this year’s elections, the date of which is yet to be announced. Win Tin accused them of shamelessly exploiting the NLD name in their party’s campaigning and organisational work.
In press interviews, NDF acting spokesmen Dr. Than Nyein, Khin Maung Swe and Thein Nyunt, had glibly said they were carrying out the incomplete tasks of the NLD, he said.
“They claim they are performing the unfinished tasks of the NLD and they will fulfil the promises made to the people. They are not our proxy party so they should not be using the name of the NLD,” an irate Win Tin told Mizzima.
“Our party flag bears the insignia of the fighting peacock. If they pretend to be our proxy, then they must be ‘crows in peacock feathers’,” he said, adding that, “The people are aware enough to distinguish between a crow and a peacock.”
In the same vein NLD central committee member Phyu Phyu Thin said pretending to be a proxy of the NLD could confuse people.
“Each and every party member should abide by the party’s decision of not contesting the election,” she said. “We do not want to comment on their splitting and forming a splinter party by not abiding with the decision taken, but we cannot accept their pretending to be a proxy of the NLD.”
But NDF spokesman Khin Maung Swe denied his party was a proxy of the NLD but that it was floated based on policies at variance with from those of the NLD.
He said the new party’s policies were aimed at developing a mass-movement based on social liberalism to help reconstruct and reform laws with the people’s support. Its economic policy intended to develop a market-based mixed economy in which the government could intervene and regulate markets through legislation.
“NLD could not fulfil its promises to the people in 1990 in terms of achieving human rights and democracy in the country,” Khin Maung Swe said. “We are just saying we will fulfil their unfinished tasks and promises even though no one assigned us to take them up.”
NDF has 17 founding members of whom Khin Maung Swe, Dr. Than Nyein, Thein Nyunt, Dr. Win Naing are former NLD central executive committee members and Soe Win, Dr. Than Win, Thar Saing, Tin Aung Aung, Toe Bo, Sein Hla Oo, Saw Nan Thi are former central committee members. The rest are former NLD members.
