Shan Herald Agency for News

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Peace Process: Time for non-signatories to make up their mind Posted: 28 Dec 2015 08:07 PM PST Following the landslide victory of the National League for Democracy, the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), both signatories and non-signatories, had hailed it as a big step forward in the peace process. All have also offered their cooperation with the party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, expressing their hope that a new peace invitation that will render a more level playing field for them is just round the corner. However, two meetings that had taken place between her and the signatory EAOs on 17 December, and the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) on 23 December, may prove as a disappointment for them, especially for the non-signatories who have placed high hopes on getting on board with her. Of course, no one can blame her for changing her position, after circumstances have changed. Running for the president and being a (defacto, if not de jure) president are different things. Just ask presidents Obama and Hollande, or even U Thein Sein. According to sources, she is not going to open up political dialogues with the non- signatories until they have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Accordingly, she had urged both the signatory EAOs and the MPC to try to reach out to the non-signatories in an effort to convince them to sign it. "Her immediate concern is with the handover of power to her by the present government," one EAO member who met her said.  "She wants nothing to be in the way of a smooth transfer." One thing in the way, sources say, is that the non-signatories will continue to be unlawful organizations until they become signatories. She wants nothing to do with them until they are delisted. More important is her former position that the amendment of the constitution should be affected both within and without the parliament has changed, according the sources. "Now she says it must be done only inside the parliament," said one. Of course, circumstances may still change, and with them her position. But until they do, the non-signatories' strategy should be not to wait for her to make the first move, but for them to move first. What more better opportunity for them to do it, if they decide to attend the Union Peace Conference (UPC), scheduled for 12 January and is expected to last at least 5-7 days, to present their case. Whatever decision they may take, they should not forget that the ball is in their court now, not hers. As for the signatories, the nons need not worry themselves about them, because right now they are getting all the leverage that they can get from the present government, whose main concern is to convince the nons and the rest of the world that it is faithfully implementing the NCA. Needless to say, its position is also sure to change with the change of government. May 2016 bring peace to the people of the Union.

On NLD Position that State Chief Minister will be elected from its own Party Posted: 28 Dec 2015 06:24 PM PST If what Nang Khin Htwe Myint said is the policy of NLD and meant to be that of Aung San Suu Kyi, we are in for a latent conflict between the NLD and ethnic nationalities as a whole instead of a cooperation to build a just and fair genuine federal union. It is all along understood that the democratic camp, including the NLD, are of the opinion that the Chief State Minister should be elected by the people of the concerned state and not the Union President, as prescribed by the military-drafted constitution. The NLD was sympathetic when the ethnic MPs were trying to change this section so that they could elect their own State Chief Minister. But now it is going to use the constitutional privilege that is granted to put its own people as Chief Ministers. It is understandable, if the NLD exercises such authority in states and regions that it has won with majority. But at least it should endorse and support the homegrown political parties candidates in Arakan and Shan States, where the ethnic parties won with a big margin and achieved sizeable seats more than the NLD. By showing this kind of broadmindedness the NLD might prove that it is keeping it's promises to amend the constitution to be a genuine federalism, by not making use of the unfair power monopoly drafted by the military clique. It is now up to the NLD to choose, whether cooperation with the ethnic nationalities or confrontation, which will also determine if it is for real justified genuine federalism or watered down unitary system with some democratic window dressing.

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