More than 1,000 people participated in a march in the Sagaing Region town of Kalay on Monday supporting calls to amend Burma’s military-drafted 2008 Constitution.
Those present—including National League for Democracy (NLD) party members, 88 Generation leaders, civil society representatives and other members of the public—walked from Shwe Bontha Pagoda to a statue of late independence icon Gen Aung San.
According to U Ba Min, the chairperson of the ruling NLD in Kalay District, the charter must be changed in order to “build a secure and developed nation with a better future.”
“It’s a good time to amend the 2008 Constitution. The future of our nation will not be good if we do not amend it,” he told Khonumthung News, adding, “we cannot get genuine democracy and peace in the country without amending the Constitution.”
The NLD has said it will make changes to the charter—which is widely considered to be undemocratic—through parliamentary procedures. The Union Parliament recently formed a “joint preparation committee” made up of 45 legislators tasked with exploring constitutional amendments.
The most common interpretation of the 2008 Constitution is that a majority at least 75 percent of parliamentarians must vote in favor of any changes.