Abolishing 2008 Constitution is ‘very dangerous’ for the people

Abolishing 2008 Constitution is 'very dangerous' for the people - USDP

Published on Monday, 07 October 2013 20:53

Myanmar's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has warned of great danger for the people and unpredictable chaos if a new constitution is to be drawn and the current 2008 Constitution completely abolished. 

In a statement released on Saturday, the USDP said that the party's stance is to review and amend the 2008 Constitution depending on time and circumstances.

The party is now studying the 2008 Constitution in detail and will focus on clauses that need to be amended. The party will submit its suggestions on necessary amendments to the respective parliamentary committee. It will also be transparent in sharing these recommendations with its members and the general public, the USDP said in its statement.

On September 28, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic political parties in Myanmar issued a joint statement saying that the issue of whether to amend the 2008 Constitution or draft a new one would be raised in Parliament depending on the will of the people.

According to the joint statement, the 2008 Constitution carries provisions that are undemocratic and inconsistent. It says the current draft prevents rights and guarantees for national races, deters the establishment of a true democratic state and multi-party democracy system, lacks proper checks and balances for executive, judicial and legislative powers, does not provide equal rights for all citizens, and provides no guarantees of a free and fair election in 2015.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked for one hundred percent participation from the military to amend the constitution. Such involvement by the military would be welcomed by all the ethnic minorities, she added.

"The 2008 Constitution needs to be amended before 2015 in order to avoid a crisis. If this fails to happen, we will face a predicament. This is our way of preparing to prevent the crisis," Suu Kyi earlier told the media.

Meanwhile, the Union Parliament's constitutional review joint committee is scheduled to submit its findings on the 2008 Constitution to the Parliament before December 31.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/10/08/abolishing-2008-constitution-is-very-dangerous-for-the-people/