Most of the differences that have emerged in peace talks between the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT)—which is negotiating on behalf of Burma’s armed ethnic groups—and the Burmese government relate to the definition of certain words. Accordingly, peace negotiators from both sides should focus their attention on the concepts behind the words, said one of the NCCT’s key negotiators, Dr. Lian Hmung Sakhong.
Speaking at a forum on Burma’s peace process held at Chiang Mai University (CMU) on May 30th, Dr. Sakhong said that “Ideology is more important than terminology,” pointing out that similar words don’t convey the same meaning in some cases. For example, in the eyes of Burma’s government, “Pyidaungsu” simply means “Union,” but ethnic groups define “Pyidaungsu” according to its original meaning, which referred to a “Union of Sovereign States,” suggesting that all states were initially independent.
Another definitional sticking point has revolved around the concept of “federalism,” which can have many different meanings. For instance, American “federalism” is much different than Germany’s “federal” system. Indeed, army representatives on the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC), which is negotiating on behalf of Burma’s government, continue to oppose any mention of the word “federal” in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA)—despite the fact that “federalism” has been accepted and used by both President Thein Sein and Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann in their speeches.
Yet the two sides have managed to reach some common ground on certain issues. For instance, Dr. Sakhong said that both sides have agreed that Burma should strive to create a “democracy that guarantees equal rights and (internal) self-determination” for the peoples of the union.
The two sides have also agreed that Burma should be a secular state, which may help dispel concerns that Naypyidaw is thinking to adopt a more pro-Buddhist stance in the wake of recent proposals to restrict inter-faith marriage.
Importantly, Burma’s army has finally agreed with the NCCT’s position that disarmament, demobilization, and re-integration (DDR) of ethnic armed groups can only occur after a political settlement has been reached between the government and ethnic groups. The army, which previously insisted that DDR should come before any political talks, conceded on this point during the latest round of talks between the two sides that took place from May 21-23, according to Dr. Sakhong. Nevertheless, the second combined NCA draft resulting from the latest round of talks still says that DDR must come first.
Dr. Sakhong concluded his remarks to the CMU audience—which included NGO staff, academics, diplomats, and journalists from various countries—by saying that “Peace in Burma is important, not only for the people of Burma, but also for the region and the rest of the world…because instability in our country has created a lot of problems for you. Peace in Burma is your concern as well. This is our best chance. Please support our efforts to make peace.”
Other speakers at the event included Nyo Ohn Myint from the Myanmar Peace Center, Harn Yawnghwe from the Euro-Burma Office, and Dr. Hannes Siebert from Common Space Initiative. Some 60 participants attended the forum on Burma’s peace process, which was jointly organized by Chiang Mai University’s Regional Center for Sustainable Development; the Burma Studies Center; the Pyidaungsu Institute for Peace and Dialogue; and Thai PBS.
