Some of the voice of a representative at the Burmese Military Government National Convention

These Questions and Answers were written by a representative who attended the Burmese Military Government National Convention as an ethnic national representative. He wrote about his experience and sent it to the Independent Mon News Agency in his own handwriting:

Question: Oldest brother, you are so smart to come back from the National Convention (NC).
Answer: Sure… Why not?.

Q: How was the food and place to stay in Nyaung Hnit Pin?
A: Very, very good. The cooks prepared many different kinds of food, not too fat, and if you caught a little bit of a cold and cough, they carefully treated you very special and great.

Q: TV had a presentation on the store, restaurant, playground and sport facilities in Nyaung Hnit Pin.
A: Yes, everything you could have.

Q: What did you play there and what presents did you buy from there?
A: I bought nothing, but people who can afford it could, and play golf. We had to pay for everything. I think we could do business with the National Convention and get a contract for business.

Q: Which party, oldest brother, invited you as a representative?
A: I was invited as an ethnic representative.

Q: How was it organized?
A: The State Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) led the group, a former state administer joined as vice group leader and others are members. That is our state organization.

Q: Who pays the expense?
A: The Township Peace and Development Council (PDC) paid 10,000 kyat for expenses for the trip to the National Convention. They paid 20,000 kyat to other Township PDC trepresentatives, but they did not pay for the trip back. When we took the trip back the group leader paid for us.

Q: Some people said the government would give each representative a car and a telephone. Is it true?
A: I heard about that before I joined the NC. When I came back here, many people asked me about that; a car, a phone, also a house in Rangoon, but I do not know as of now.

Q: How do you think the government will give it to you?
A: Sometimes I thought about that in my imagination. I told about it now because of you.

Q: If they give it, will you accept it?
A: Hey, Hey. Why not. If the government will give it, all these NC representatives are people who would like to have it.

Q: What do you think these representatives can do for the people and country in the NC?
A: We have no right to do anything. We can change nothing of the 1996 decision. They only allowed us to criticize, analyze and suggest about it. But not to change it.

Q: The 1996 constitution draft was for a one state, one country system. That will not end the civil war, you told us many times and regularly. At this NC did you you strongly criticize it or not?
A: I will explain it to you. In this NC 633 for ethnic nationalities I attended, If we count the number of representative, we would be very satisfied. But, of a hundred of these representatives, only about five are interested in politics. Of these five representatives it is difficult to have one who understands about the constitution. Most of these representatives are government employees, retired employees, Union Solidarity and Development Association members and people who shared investments with military leaders. They gave us the 1996 draft constitution. They told us to report comments or suggestions (monograph) based on the draft constitution. In addition, our report has to be given to the convening committee. If the committee accepts it, we can have a chance to read it in the NC. If the NC does not accept the report, we have to rewrite it again. It must be what they like.

Q: Does your report have to be rewritten?
A: No. Our group agreed on the draft. We just changed some words that did not change the meaning of the words used in the draft constitution.

Q: Did you discuss with your group the points that you did not agree on?
A: No.

Q: It means you agreed with the draft.
A: Not like that. Some points I would have liked to change, but our group leader denied it and said that is not good. If we put in some changes the report will not be finished and we would have to rewrite it. It would keep us busy, the group leader said. That is why nobody cared or seriously discussed it.

Q: Did the report from the representative groups have to be rewritten?
A: Yes. The 13 cease-fire groups' report had to be rewritten. The committee denied some points. The convening committee let the cease-fire groups ignore it and the cease-fire groups had to ignore these points. And the cease-fire groups were not allowed to read it out in the all-representative meeting.

Q: The government said the draft constitution in this NC described the power given the state better than the constitution written in the previous government, and that the government was willing to share power with ethnic state governments. What do you think?
A: I recognized and cared about one point, the Union of State Constitution would influence the state constitution if the state constitution written by a state supreme legislative body were opposite to the Union of state constitution. It seemed to make having a state constitution meaningless and gave no power to the State Supreme Legislative Body. Another point was the state prime minister is appointed by the Union of State president, and if the state cannot prove their prime minister clearly does not have enough ability to run the state, they have no power to change the state prime minister although the state prime minister was not elected by state people. It made clear it was centralized. However, the government gave many reasons.

Q: Is it right that people say government authorities in the NC were very clever in using words when they presented it to the NC?
A: Although they used very great words in presenting it, they made selfish decisions and it was only for propaganda. There were no presentations of what the people wanted and it barred their right to present them. That’s why this NC has no credibility.

Q: Why did you attend the NC?
A: They invited me.

Q: Although they invited you why didn't you refuse to attend?
A: Because… one of the Military Intelligence (MI) came to my home, but he did not meet me and left a form to fill out about my biography with my family. The people in my home worried about me, why MI asked me to fill out the form. When I arrived home, I filled it out because I had enough experience (to know) that I had to do what they wanted. On the next day MI took it. A week later, a Township Peace and Development Council member came to my home and told me to go to the Military Division Command office tomorrow. I went to the office. Ten people were there, most of them Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) members. The military did not talk to all of us together. They talked one by one. When they called my name, I entered the room. The Military Division Command commander and two colonels sat inside. When I sat down, they started telling me that our country was not suitable to be a federation; if changed to federal, the country would become uncontrollable. He said it himself. I made no reply. And they asked me about my health, my personality and was I able to work for two months. They asked if I could go on a tour to meet people to get support? I shortly replied and they said it was OK. I left the room and returned to my home. About 10 days later, an invitation letter reached me to attend the NC. All of the people I met in the commander's office were invited. I asked a person invited who I know, "What did you imagine to present in the NC?" He replied that he would go to present nothing. He would just do as a chameleon who nods his head to mean yes. Do not say anything, although you want to you can’t, he replied to me. That’s how I became a representative and attended the NC.

Q: How do you hope this NC can solve the Burma problem that started more than 50 years ago?
A: I can hope nothing.

Q: Will you attend the NC again?
A: If they invite me, I will. If they do not, I will not.

End……………………………