Reform of government in exile agreed in principle

Mizzima News - Nay Thwin : The Members of Parliament in exile have agreed to reform the government in exile in principle at its meeting which concluded yesterday.

Members of Parliamentary Union (MPU) which holds its congress every four years concluded its last congress held on Thai-Burma border on Wednesday. In the congress, the MPs in exile agreed in principle to reform and enlarge the ‘National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma’ (NCGUB) led by Prime Minister Dr. Sein Win with MPs, ethnic leaders and other appropriate members. But the date to enlarge and reform the current NCGUB has not yet been fixed.

The MPU Congress was attended by 24 out of 34 MPs and Prime Minister Dr. Sein Win joined the deliberations by way of the internet. Dr. Sein Win is a cousin brother of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

For the reforms of the NCGUB to materialize, thorough discussions and deliberations will be undertaken among the coalition umbrella organization of exiled united fronts, ‘National Council for Union of Burma’ (NCUB) led by general secretary Maung Maung and border based ethnic organizations.

NCUB is comprised of four member organizations such as the ‘National League for Democracy – Liberated Area’ (NLD-LA), MPU, armed ethnic groups united front ‘National Democratic Front’ (NDF) and ‘Democratic Alliance of Burma’ (DAB).

The issue of reforming and enlarging NCGUB, which was formed in December 1990, was controversial and needs to be debated among the ethnic leaders and other democratic forces. Currently there are six members in the Council of Ministers of NCGUB, Dr. Sein Win, U Thein Oo, U Bo Hla Tint, Dr. Tint Swe, U Khun Mar Kobarn and Dr. San Aung.

Similarly NLD-LA agreed in principle to reform the NCGUB in its meeting concluded recently, but the detailed plan has not yet been fixed and discussed.

“We haven’t chosen the form of reformed NCGUB. We will seek professional opinions and suggestions on how to form and how to collect ideas when all have agreed to do so. And also we will take the opinions of ethnic leaders and then integrate all these ideas and reform the current NCGUB,” NLD-LA General Secretary Myint Soe told Mizzima.

“We will continue and implement our work. If they (junta) continue with their own plan unilaterally despite the oppositions’ repeated calls for tripartite dialogue, we must stand firmly on our position regardless of the threat of being arrested and killed. This is what the people from inside Burma are thinking of,” he added.

Khun Myint Tun, one of the MPs in exile agrees with the idea of expansion saying “Currently the NCGUB can do its work. But we will try to make the NCGUB stronger and a more effective government in exile, which can give effective leadership to the whole movement”.

A NCGUB Minister Khun Mar Kobarn objected to the expansion and said that the previous thinking of forming the ‘Federal Government’ and ‘National United Government’ is almost impossible in a pragmatic manner and is just a ‘fantasy’.

He was referring to a case in their first Council of Ministers. There were Ministers of Labour, Minister of Forest, and Minister of Mining among others. But later these ministries were reduced due to financial constraints and practical reasons.

The spokesman of the ‘Communist Party of Burma’ (CPB), said that all movements in exile should focus on enhancing domestic movements.

“It is important to build domestic infrastructures which will help the domestic movements. All other work must lead to this road,” he added.