Convention rep: No law in Burma

Politics

Convention rep: No law in Burma

Reporter: Hawkeye

"There is no law in Burma except what comes out of the generals' mouths," sighed a delegate from Shan State, one among the thousand plus people who had been ordered to attend the National Convention, as he prepared to return from his weekly outlet in Rangoon to the venue at Naunghnapin 40 km away:

"The Wa tried on the preceding Friday (18 March) to recapitulate on what they had proposed during the last round (17 May - 9 July 2004)," he related without going into the details," but they were barred from doing so resulting in some tensions."

"So were the Karenni (Nationalities People Liberation Front) people," added another delegate.

The delegates from ceasefire groups, who had previously proposed a federal structure for future Burma, were later informed by one of the conveners that further attempts to discuss their demands would come to nothing. "The best you can expect is some rewording in the Preamble and perhaps, in the Appendices, if there are any," they were reportedly told, "because the main text of the constitution has already been drafted."

"I don't want to attend it anymore," said the first delegate. "What's the use of it if you are not allowed to say what you believe is in the interests of the people. But I have to, because I don't want to get into trouble."

The other delegate also questioned the whole point of holding the convention to lay down guidelines for the constitution if Burma's rulers are not ready to listen to the participants, let alone consider their ideas. "That's the disciplined-flourishing democracy for you," he concluded. "It means nothing other than a chameleon democracy."

The expression chameleon (Pok-thin-nyo) in Burmese gives a sense totally different from that in English. Whereas in the latter, it means 'vacillator or shifter', in the former, it stands for 'yesman', as the chameleon is commonly known in Burma for its habitual head-nodding.

With regards to the adjournment of the National Convention, the delegates confirmed it would be before the annual water festival, 13-16 April, though the exact date has yet to be announced.

"They never bother to tell us when it will stop or start again" grumbled a delegate as he hurried off for Nyaunghnapin.

Update (1 April 2005)

By contrast, the delegates who are attending the latest round of the Convention are no longer treated like VIPs e.g being treated first class meals and having somebody to fan them while eating. Group discussions are also not allowed.