Compromise needed to gain federal in Myanmar: Political party says
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Tun (NP News) - Nov 27
Secretary 1 of the National Democratic Force which will be running in the 2025 Election at the union level, U Htet Aung Kyaw, stated that negotiation and compromise are key fundamentals for achieving a federal democratic union in Myanmar.
He said, “Divergence and multi-ethnicities in our country isn’t that much as having in India. However, India can maintain the country’s stability and peace with that many diverse cultures. So, why not can we? The thing is we need to hold a thorough dialogue between each other. We have to compromise with each other.”
He made the abovementioned remark in an exclusive interview with The NP News after the visit of political parties to India in the first week of this month.
On 5 and 6 November, representatives of political parties such as Union Solidarity and Development Party, National Democratic Force, People’s Party, People’s Pioneer Party, Arakan Front Party, Lahu party, and National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee and Centre for Peace and Reconciliation attended the 2nd Lecture Series on Constitutionalism and Federalism in India, as being invited by the India Council of World Affairs.
In addition, Dr Aye Maung, Chairman of the Arakan Front Party, who also involved in the Indian trip also remarked: “India, they call themselves as ‘Quasi-federal’ instead of a federal country. They regard themselves as a unitary nation which is ruled by a strong central government. When Pakistan detached from India, they noticed themselves of requiring to have a strong central Hindi rule government in order to prevent another disintegration from India. They don’t accept the disintegration.”
Dr Aye Maung added, “They have 22 provinces with 8 autonomous regions. They have a wide variety of religions, races, and different social classes with a huge gap between rich and poor. However, they can combine those diversities under the constitution.”
Myanmar recognizes a total of 135 ethnic groups under eight major ethnicities including Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. It has been nearly 80 years since internal conflicts happened within the country after independence.