In its response to the military coup, The Zomi Congress for Democracy (ZCD) has declared “the ZCD is concerned for the country’s future since the Tatmadaw has seized power. The current political crisis is due to the flaws in the 2008 Constitution.”

In a statement issued on February 7th The ZCD calls for the unconditional release of all detainees including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Pu Gin Kam Lian, Secretary of the ZCD talked of 4 Zomi principles includes working only with organisations that support “The emergence of a genuine democratic government and reforms of the 2008 constitution “a stance that is completely at odds with a military coup that is opposed to the spirit of Panglong and wishes to absorb ethnic peoples within a military-run State Administrative Structure.

These are the 4 Zomi principles: 1) The use of the name “Zomi” as proof of our ancestral and local identity 2) The emergence of a genuine democratic government 3) The independent market-oriented economic system 4) The promotion of the Panglong Spirit. Pu Gin Kam Lian, Secretary of the ZCD clarified “These principles are not part of the 2008 Constitution” hence it must be changed.

Political observers considered that potential change of the 2008 constitution during a second term of an NLD government would have eroded the military’s legal stranglehold, and became a major factor in driving the military coup.

Among the ethnic parties, the Arakan National Party (ANP) is among the few who have accepted the offer to receive positions inside in the State Administration Council formed by the Tatmadaw, while ZCD has now joined the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) the Asho Chin National Party (ACNP) The Karen KNDP and Shan SNLD among others have all rejected the offer.

Pu Gin Kam Lian remarked that “The ZCD believes that the country can only achieve peace, the continued existence of the Union and stability, when the solution is sought through tripartite talks between the NLD, ethnic groups and the Tatmadaw towards the creation of a federal union based on the pledges of Panglong. The ZCD won two constituencies in the 2020 General Election in Chin State. The ZCD is an alliance with the NLD secured a number of seats in the 1990 General Elections.