Negotiating the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) is like playing a game of polo, whereas the political dialogue following thereafter is like a game of soccer, according to Dr. Sui Khar, a prominent leader of the Chin National Front.
“Like polo, both sides share the same goal,” he told SHAN yesterday. “We should therefore not consume too much time on it. On the contrary, we will need a lot of time for the political dialogue, because we each have a different goal like in…soccer.”
Sao Yawdserk, leader of the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) agrees. “Actually, we could have insisted on beginning the political dialogue after 14 armed resistance movements had signed ceasefires, but we went along with the NCA negotiations because Naypyidaw’s proposal for the UN and foreign governments to be signatory witnesses seemed like a good idea to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, other sources have described Burma’s political situation by referring to the common idiom, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” meaning that even if ethnic groups aren’t able to achieve their goal of genuine federalism, at least they can expect a better deal if Aung San Suu Kyi becomes president in 2015.
To this end, even the Western superpowers are willing to entice Burma’s military by dropping sanctions and making investments “in exchange for allowing The Lady to become the next president,” said one source, adding that “They seem to be backing two horses at the same time.”
When asked by SHAN about this source’s opinions, a “friendly” diplomat declined to make any comments.
On May 23rd, at the conclusion of the latest round of NCA talks between the NCCT—a group of ethnic leaders which is negotiating on behalf of Burma’s armed ethnic groups—and the government, the two sides reached an agreement on a second draft of the NCA.
A round-table discussion on Burma’s peace process was held at Chiang Mai University today. For details about the event, please see “Mailbox.”
