The Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC-Union of Burma), a coalition of ethnic political organizations, announced yesterday that it would not accept Burma’s electoral laws as they were patently one sided drawn by the military junta for its benefit.
The announcement was made after its five-day meeting from 27 to 31 March at an undisclosed location on the Thai-Burma border. It was attended by 35 representatives from seven ethnic states: Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Arakan, Chin, Mon and Shan.
According to the council’s resolutions, the group will oppose not only the electoral laws, but also the junta’s 2008 constitution, which it says is undemocratic. At the same time, the group expressed its support for the National League for Democracy (NLD) on its decision on 29 March not to re-register as a political party.
On the other hand, the council will not oppose or condemn ethnic organizations and individuals planning to contest the forthcoming elections, or the people who vote even though its position does not support the elections.
The newly elected Chairman Tu Tu Lay urged all state representatives to prevent discord among those who are participating in the elections and those against the elections.
According to a participant at the meeting, there are people, even though they are against the 2008 constitution, who have decided to contest the elections.
One of them is veteran Shan politician Shwe Ohn, who formed a new party; Union Democratic Alliance Organization (UDAO), last year saying if there are no opposition parties, the military junta’s candidates will win by acclamation.
A former member of the defunct Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), who also shared the same view, said, “The military’s door is opening a little bit. We must try to pry it open wide with a few seats that we can win.”
A former resistance leader said that ethnic people have been fighting against the junta for more than half a century, but they are yet to win, because they are fighting from the exterior lines. “It is high time we fought them in the interior lines.”
The ENC was established in August 2001 as Ethnic Nationalities Solidarity and Cooperation Committee (ENSCC). In 2004 it became ENC, a state based organization. Another ethnic alliance is the National Democratic Front (NDF), formed in 1976, by armed ethnic movements.
