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SUBJECT [Feb 20] Myanmar Parliament approves committee to amend constitution
DATE 2019-02-20
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PHOTO: Frontier Myanmar. Military officers who are unelectred members of parliament arrive to attend a session on February 19.

 

Myanmar’s parliament approved on February 19, 2019 the creation of a 45-member joint committee to write a bill to amend the army-drafted 2009 constitution that the current government views as undemocratic, despite opposition by lawmakers from the military and the main opposition party.

 

Before the voting began, several members of parliament, including a military legislator, made requests to discuss the issue during the parliamentary meeting, but parliamentary Speaker T Khun Myat rejected them.

 

The measure was approved by a vote of 389-192, establishing a committee comprising of 18 lawmakers from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, eight military MPs, two MPs each from the opposition Union Solidarity Party (USDP), Arakan National Party (ANP), and Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD). Remaining posts were filled by lawmakers from other parties.

 

The term of the committee will run until a draft constitutional reform bill is submitted to parliament. Deputy speaker Tun Tun Hein, who chairs the newly formed joint committee, said “we will focus on producing a draft bill for amendments to the constitution…we will not try to amend the constitution by taking a shortcut.”

 

Lower house lawmaker Thaung Aye from USDP said that lawmakers from the main opposition party will work with the committee if it focuses on amending the constitution according to law; if not, it will be difficult for them to cooperate.

 

Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has said the military would not oppose changes to the constitution if they believed the changes were in the national interest.

 

 

BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)