Sai Lake, General Secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) called upon the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) to implement democracy and federal affairs at the same time.

He reminded the NLD of their past agreement on this saying, “There is a matter that has to be implemented by the NLD. Since 1989-1990 before the formation of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP), there was an agreement between the NLD and non-Bamar ethnics. Under the agreement, the NLD is to implement democracy and federal affairs at the same time, he added.

This dates to the era before the 1990 election in 1990 where the NLD opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi achieved a landslide victory with 392 seats and SNLD won 23.The Ne Win regime refused to respect the election results. That means that the CRPP agreement was never implemented.

Sai Lake asserted “The SNLD will not accept the fact that some persons from the ruling party have stated the NLD   would implement the federal system only after the success of democracy. The best time for the NLD to form the national unity government is now during the coming tenure of parliament.”

He added “The implementation of the national unity has the best prospect of succeeding now, while the elderly NLD top leaders are still alive, and the political situation of a new government presents a window of opportunity. Whether national reconciliation or national unity, the unity is the first priority. It is very crucial for ethnic peoples.”

The SNLD met the NLD at the NLD’s office in Taunggyi in Shan State on January 15th. The SNLD submitted their policies on unity, peace and its policies and cooperation with the NLD in democracy and federal affairs. But no commitments on a national unity government and federalism have been made so far by NLD.

The SNLD senior official stressed “If the NLD’s relations with ethnics deteriorate as happened during the past five years, then the ongoing civil war will block the political dialogue from achieving any success.”  

The SNLD therefore has urged the NLD to meet all 48 ethnic parties and ensure that the cancelled meetings with the Mon Unity Party and the Karen Party over a venue dispute is sorted out, and a new date can be set for those meetings. The SNLD has offered to mediate those deferred talks.