The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) has formed a committee to hold talks with ethnic political parties, said Dr. Myo Nyunt, Spokesperson of the NLD.
The NLD has chosen three leaders for the talks with ethnic parties. They will lead the talks with ethnic parties, Dr. Myo Nyunt told the media after the NLD’s first CEC meeting held over one month after the Election on December 12.
The team will be led by Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, Daw Nan Khin Htwe Myint and U In Htone Khar Naw Sam.
“The newly-formed committee will start the talks with ethnic parties quickly. The committee will first listen to the aspirations of ethnic parties. After that we will coordinate and try to achieve common ground. It will be approved after being discussed at the CEC meeting,” Dr. Myo Nyunt added.
The NLD’s policy towards ethnics is building democracy and a federal system. The union ethnic parties are longing for is to enjoy democratic rights and equality according to the federal system. It is important that the union is endowed with these qualities, he continued.
The newly-formed committee pays attention to seeking a common ground for the structure of a future new union, rather than the formation of a government. The NLD will take account of ethnic parties’ submission of names, which should be included in the union government and the state government he claimed.
On November 12, the NLD sent an open letter to 48 ethnic parties, claiming that the NLD would place emphasis on the desires of ethnics in the future as “the objectives of ethnic parties are similar to those of the NLD.”
However during the election campaign ethnic-based parties when submitting their party political broadcast found that the Myanmar State TV censored parts of their party manifesto on their campaign for a federal union and current unequal treatment of ethnic minorities by the Bamar majority represented by the ruling NLD. Hence many ethnic leaders have stressed that progress depends not on NLD words but their actions during the next 5 years.
Dr. Myo Nyunt also stated “The NLD expects ethnic parties shall actively participate in the democracy and union affairs to be formulated by the NLD” without saying whether ethnic leaders would have any say in this process of formulating policy. This comes one month after the NLD sent the letter to ethnic parties.
The NLD won the 2020 General Elections by securing 920 out of 1,117 constituencies. The NLD will form the government for a second term.
