Pro-democracy activists in the Philippines, keen to see democracy being ushered into military ruled Burma, have set three conditions for the 2010 elections to be free and fair.
Egoy Bans, spokesperson of Free Burma Coalition-Philippines, a network of Philippino activists for Burma told Mizzima that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the United Nations and the international community must work together to ensure three minimum conditions for Burma. They are - release of the NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political prisoners, cessation of hostilities against ethnic nationalities and political dissenters and to review the 2008 constitution, which is not of international standard.
Burma's harsh and undemocratic new election rules ban anyone convicted by a court from contesting the 2010 election and makes it mandatory for political parties to expel all imprisoned members. This excludes more than 2100 political prisoners and rights activists including the country's popular democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been held under house arrest for most of the last two decades.
“The Burmese electoral laws have banned the opposition NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from contesting polls along with 2100 political prisoners. This signals that the 2010 election is unfair and undemocratic,” said Egoy Bans.
“There is no iota of a chance for the democracy movement in the country to get ahead and the opposition to advance its agenda for the process of democratisation. The junta is not introducing a fair track to democracy,” added Bans.
“The Philippine government is outraged. Our Foreign Minister has called for credible elections. The Philippine government along with some other ASEAN governments have consistently urged the junta to ensure credible elections, but the election laws are pushing the NLD to expel Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” said Bans.
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to call a meeting on Burma in New York to discuss last week’s announcements of Burma's electoral laws.
"Burma has ignored the demands of the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General, the US, EU and its neighbours by imposing restrictive and unfair terms for the elections. The targeting of Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD is particularly vindictive and allous...”
"We will also seek international support to impose an arms embargo against Burma. Burma's people are demanding political and economic freedom and the international community must stand by them," Brown said in a statement today.
