Union Day Highlights Opposition to the Junta’s Undemocratic Elections

By Burma Partnership • February 12, 2010

Today marks Union Day, the anniversary of the signature of the Panglong Agreement that was designed to bring together the ethnic groups into the federal Union of Burma. Sixty-three years later, ethnic groups throughout the country are still struggling for equality, federalism, and an end to human rights violations in their communities under the repressive military regime.

In a Union Day statement, the United Nationalities Alliance, an alliance of 1990 election-winning ethnic political parties, expressed the desire of many ethnic groups by calling on the SPDC to release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, 88 Generation, and ethnic leaders such as Khun Htun Oo; to end to the armed conflict and human rights violations in ethnic areas; and to engage in dialogue with opposition groups including the National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic groups. The NLD and democracy forces throughout the country stand with ethnic groups, declaring that without those benchmarks and a review of the 2008 Constitution, this year’s elections will be far from democratic. For elections based on the junta’s flawed constitution will not be a step towards a democratic, federal and peaceful Burma.

This common goal was highlighted in a recent Burmese-language discussion between NLD Central Executive Committee Member, U Win Tin, and Vice-Chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU), David Thakapaw. Both leaders recognized that democratic and ethnic alliances must work together to oppose the junta’s 2008 Constitution, which will further entrench the problems currently felt in Burma through this year’s undemocratic elections.

The calls from democratic and ethnic alliances have been echoed in a UN General Assembly Resolution on 23 December 2009. And most recently, the Philippines’ and Malaysian Foreign Ministers have reiterated that the elections will not be free, fair or credible if they are not inclusive and if Daw Suu is not released and allowed to participate. Burma’s movement for democracy and rights for ethnic nationalities welcomes these statements, however, it is now time for the international community to take concrete actions to show the SPDC that holding elections under these current conditions will not be accepted.

Tags: 2010 Elections, Burma Partnership, Ethnic Nationalities, Weekly Highlights

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Union Day Highlights Opposition to the Junta’s Undemocratic Elections

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