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Burma: NLD Should Remain As A Political Party

By Nava Thakuria

04 May, 2010
Countercurrents.org

As the last date for registration by the political parties to the Burmese election commission approaches, apprehension of strong actions against the defaulter has grown. The main opposition party of Burma, National League for Democracy has decided not to register with the election commission protesting the flawed electoral laws by the military junta and hence it is waiting for the bad news. Political observers suspect that the regime may not only de-register NLD by the first week of May, but also adopt harsh action against its leader and workers.

Meanwhile, Burma Liberation Front, a exile pressure group, has raised voice in favour of allowing NLD to remain as a political party like now. In a recent letter to Senior General Than Shwe, the present head of Burmese regime, the group demands that the government should allow the NLD to function as legal political party even though they have decided to boycott the proposed general election some time later this year.

Terming the chairman of State Peace and Development Council, as a military dictator, the group said, “You and your military regime in Burma have been trying your hardest to press ahead with your sham roadmap for a fake election in Burma. You said there would be an election in Burma, but a date has not been fixed yet. However your regime has already unlawfully passed unfair election laws to make sure real pro-democracy political parties and their leaders could not take part in the elections.”

Alleging that the Burmese regime have ‘put all pro-democracy politicians and activists in jail, because of the blatant lack of fairness and transparency in the electoral process’, it added, ‘all mainstream pro-democracy parties have declared to boycott your fake election 2010’.

The letter also claimed that Than Shwe have planned to ‘form a puppet civilian government under the military's control’ in Burma after the polls. Mentioning about some senior military officers and ministers’ recent decision to shed uniforms and launch political parties with an aim to contest, ‘rig the votes and declare themselves as election winners’, the latter asserted, “The whole world understands that your election laws are unfair, your election is a fake and your post-election puppet government is illegitimate.”

“In addition to your oppression on pro-democracy political parties ahead of the elections, your regime is also intimidating on ethnic national groups to turn their self-defence forces into Border-guard forces under the control of your army. Almost all ethnic groups have refused to accept your demands, and now you have deployed troops ethnic nationality areas in preparation for an ethnic cleansing in those areas immediately after your fake elections,” the letter pointed out.

It concluded with the demand for releasing all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi immediately so that they could take part in the election and also change electoral laws to ensure the process to be transparent, free and inclusive. The group also asked the junta ‘to stop your ethnic cleansing plans and to let ethnic national forces to exist peacefully’ in Burma.

Meanwhile, Burma Liberation Front had organized a series of demonstrations in London opposing the junta’s flawed electoral laws. The organization also claimed that the recent explosions in Rangoon during the water-festival were planned by none other than the junta. The blasts killed over ten people and injured hundred other. Burma Liberation Front revealed that soon after the incident, the regime used its machinery and its mouthpiece The New Light of Myanmar to accuse the exile Burmese groups for the handiwork.

“The junta even tried to level the allegation against the exile branch of NLD. But every body in today’s world knows that the pro-democracy and ethnic organizations in Burma are all peaceful and law-abiding institutions. If some one is brutal in Burma, it is the junta, which has a persistent streak of utter brutality and ruthless trickery,” said Tayzathuria of Burma Liberation Front.

Speaking to this writer from London, the Burmese activist stated, “Ours is a medium-sized country in Southeast Asia with about 50 million people comprising a number of diverse ethnic groups. After being ruled by successive military regimes for half a century, our country has turned in to one of the poorest countries on Earth with endless suffering to the people.”

“Burma has a twin struggle going on- peaceful freedom movement to get democracy and human rights for all people, and a federalist movement to get genuine federalism for ethnic national people in their traditional native regions. The ruling military elite has again and again used their troops to brutally suppress all human rights movements and ethnic uprisings, killing thousands of pro-democracy and ethnic activists, jailing tens of thousands, and displacing hundreds of thousands to millions of people of all ethnicities from their homes,” he added.

Burma Liberation Front also appealed to the United Nations and global community to ‘help liberate Burma’ by denouncing 2008 sham constitution (of Burma) which was unlawfully passed by force by the military regime. It also urged to denounce the unfair electoral laws which were unlawfully made by the junta and also the forthcoming fake election 2010.