Myanmar's Military MPs Scolded for Abstaining

The speaker of Myanmar's upper house of parliament on Wednesday warned lawmakers appointed by the powerful military to vote on proposed laws or face being thrown out of proceedings.

Khin Aung Myint, the speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw, or Upper House, and a member of the ruling military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), issued the warning to the 25 percent military bloc in the chamber during proceedings on a communication draft law currently before parliament.

He said that the lawmakers must vote yes or no in response to questions put before parliament, instead of collectively abstaining.

"You have the responsibility to answer 'yes' if you agree to the proposals put forth by the speaker of the Upper House or 'no' if you do not agree," Khin Aung Myint told the MPs.

"Regarding this, I have warned you many times indirectly," he said. "If you are acting as a group and not speaking out, the Upper House speaker has the power to ask you [as a group] to leave the parliamentary meeting room for this session. So, you must answer when you are asked."

The military lawmakers are appointed by the Commander in Chief of the Defense Services under the 2008 constitution that was pushed through by the then-ruling military junta, which was replaced in 2011 by the current administration of President Thein Sein from the ruling USDP.

Khin Aung Myint said that little needs to be done to approve draft laws during parliamentary meetings because by that point the Upper House has already pored over the proposed legislation with the relevant ministries, draft law committees and representatives.

"I know who has answered and who hasn't because we have TV records," he warned.

"You need to answer 'yes' or 'no' if you are asked in the future."

Colleagues frustrated

Several MPs in the Amyotha Hluttaw expressed frustration with the lack of participation of the army bloc in parliament.

Hla Swe, an MP with the USDP, told RFA's Myanmar Service Wednesday that he believed the military legislators "lack interest" in parliamentary sessions because they are a far cry from the exciting working environment of a regular army position.

He said that parliament's requirement for MPs to vote various times—from the draft stage to the final legislation—may be wearing on the military MPs.

"It might be that [the military MPs] don't want to do this any longer as they are fighters and their nature is more in line with what occurs on the battlefield," Hla Swe said.

"What I see is that they lack interest in parliament. They have to report to the Commander in Chief of Defense Services about everything they heard in parliament during each meeting."

He said that the only time he had ever seen the military MPs actively take part in the sessions was when the issue of peace negotiations with the country's armed ethnic groups was discussed.

"It seemed as if they had already received approval from the Commander in Chief of Defense Services to discuss this topic. I have never seen them respond so quickly," Hla Swe said.

He said that if the military MPs were to participate more regularly, it would benefit the country, because they have knowledge about a wide variety of issues and have important contacts that can provide them with valuable insight.

"If they were to join in discussions, the parliament would be much more active than usual."

Required reporting

Other MPs said that members of the army bloc are interested in joining parliamentary discussions, but are regularly stymied by the need to seek approval from their military superiors.

"They are just like observers and it is obvious that they are not active in meetings," said Phone Myint Aung, an MP with the National Democratic Force (NDF).

"Some of the military MPs said that those who will have to resume their normal military duties [after the next election] are happy [to leave parliament]."

"If they have to continue acting like this, the military MPs will be exactly like statues within three to four years in the parliament," he said.

Nang Wah Nu, an MP with the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), agreed that the military MPs feel that they are being held back from doing their jobs.

"They might have some difficulties discussing things in parliament," she said.

"They want to discuss the laws that are related to them, but they have to report first what they plan to discuss in the parliament and they have to be very careful about using certain words or sentences because the army's image is very important."

"Some military officers are very active and hardworking, but there are many things that keep them from speaking out," she said.

Last month, Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), pledged to work with MPs representing the military in parliament in efforts to amend the country's 2008 constitution.

The junta-framed constitution does not give Myanmar's ethnic groups sufficient representation in the government, reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for military personnel, and bars Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency.

Myanmar's ethnic groups and opposition parties have long called for greater representation in the country's legislative branch.

Reported by Khin Khin Ei for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/07/04/myanmars-military-mps-scolded-for-abstaining/