Thursday, March 5, 2015

National News

National News

Blocked workers stage sit-in protest

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:41 AM PST

Hundreds of police halt garment factory workers from marching to downtown Yangon, as police set deadline for demonstrators to disperse.

Unions criticise sacking payout plan

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:39 AM PST

Worker representatives have criticised proposals to pay compensation to employees dismissed without cause or as a result of their employers' closure as unfair.

Press Council calls for clarity on Kokang reporting

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:37 AM PST

The Myanmar Press Council (Interim) has expressed concern over the possible prosecution of journalists covering the conflict in Kokang under martial law restrictions imposed in the northern Shan State border area.

Deadlock continues as student demonstration enters third day

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:35 AM PST

Riot police yesterday corralled dozens of student protesters calling for education reform after activists defied official orders to disband and the tense deadlock entered a third day.

Political parties wary of foreign election aid

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:33 AM PST

Pledges of financial assistance by six Western governments and the European Union in the run-up to November's general elections have left political parties confused over who will benefit and the legality of foreign aid.

Social welfare in spotlight as budget debate set to resume

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:29 AM PST

A comprehensive social protections policy that spans the lifecycle from pregnant women to the elderly is set to kick off this year – if advocates can secure a budget for the plan.

Agents object to rules on new outbound tour licence

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:24 AM PST

A plan to issue licences to tour companies to organise overseas trips has been criticised for being too restrictive, with more than 100 registered agents complaining against the new rules.

Traffic police to get broader powers

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:22 AM PST

Drivers who ignore the paltry fines imposed under old laws could be taken off the road completely, as Yangon's traffic police start to punish infractions by withdrawing licences.

Updated Yangon electoral rolls to open in March

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:18 AM PST

Voters from the 10 least-populated townships in Yangon Region are being urged to check that their names are properly recorded when electoral rolls go on display at the end of March.

Drugs blamed for Homalin crime spree

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:16 AM PST

Young drug addicts have embarked on a rampage of burglary and bag-snatching, terrorising residents, villagers in Sagaing Region say. The crime spree is taking place in Tae Za Lauk village, Homalin township.
Posted by at No comments:

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Federalism: Should Burma learn from Ethiopia?

Posted: 05 Mar 2015 01:56 AM PST

That's the question posed by a young Finnish intern at the Pyidaungsu Institute (PI) for Peace and Dialogue, Ms Sabina Saramo, in her paper, "Effective Participation of Ethnic Minorities."
Ethiopia
 
 Burma and Ethiopia are considered old countries, though the former, not being recorded in the Holy Bible, is less known. According to historian Dr Than Htun (Shwebo), it used to be known as "Brahma-desa" or "Brahmadesh," which later distorted into what is universally known today, "Bamar" or the anglicized "Burma." "Myanmar" is said to be a later, and poetical, corruption which has nothing to do with the non- Burmans such as Shan, Kachin, Mon etc.  

 Both countries claim to be federal. In fact, the latter officially fashions itself as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. How federal and how democratic each is can be observed from the following table:  
DescriptionEthiopiaBurma
AreaPopulation Ethnic groups  1,104,300 sq.km90 million 80  676,578 sq.km51 million 135 (official/much debated figure)  
  Number of states9(divided on the basis of the settlement patterns, language, identity and consent of the people concerned)14(including Burman dominant "regions")
Lower House550 seats (including at least 20 for the "minority nationalities" and "peoples")440 seats (including 110 for the military who are appointed) 
Upper House1 from each "Nation, Nationality and People" plus 1 additional representative for each one million of its population12 from each state/region
State levelState CouncilState/Region legislatures and State/Region governments(Ethnic state/region government includes ministers for "national races" each of which has 0.1% of the total population of the Union in the state/region concerned which altogether represent some 20 "national races")
Official languageEqual status for all languagesBurmese (Myanmar)
  Federalism in multi-ethnic countries, she says, must have distinctive features such as:
  • Recognition of ethnic minorities
  • Ensuring the right of participation by ethnic minorities in decision making
  • By the right of voting
  • By measures guaranteeing ethnic representation
  • By establishing advisory and consultative bodies
  • By self-governance
"Cultural diversity (is) viewed as an asset to be celebrated and not a liability to be managed."  

Burma's 2008 constitution, by this standards, can be said of having federal aspects, but not a federal one. It has a "good framework" but "the substance needs a reform".  

Compared to Ethiopia, it has no assurance of ethnic representation. Minorities within minorities opportunity to participate in decision-making is very small.  

Moreover, Burma is far from being a democracy, because the military is still the real power in the Union.  

With that conclusion, she has answered her own question: Should Burma learn from Ethiopia?
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)