A member of the Kachin national group was among the hundreds of delegates at the opening session of the National Convention last week. Pic–Saeed Khan, AFP

THE National Convention to draft a new constitution was an “historic milestone,” Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council, Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, said at the opening last week of its third session since the government unveiled its road map for a transition to democracy in August 2003.

“We are working today for the emergence of a national constitution, which will protect the rights of citizens,” said Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, who is also chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission.

Lieutenant-General Thein Sein also underlined the importance of the seven stage road map, saying it was needed to enable Myanmar to make the transformation to a genuine and discipline-flourishing democratic state.

“There is no other way,” he said in a ceremony at the opening of the session at the government-owned Nyaunghnapin resort at Hmawbi, about 20 miles northwest of Yangon, on December 5.

The ceremony was attended by 1074 of the 1080 delegates to the convention, commission members, ambassadors, diplomats, representatives of UN agencies and scores of journalists. Six delegates could not attend due to ill health.

Lieutenant-General Thein Sein warned that destructive elements were trying to disrupt the convention because they were jealous with its success.

“Delegates need to be vigilant against those perpetrations,” he said.

Lieutenant-General Thein Sein called on delegates to participate in discussions.

“I urge delegates to strive for the successful completion of the National Convention by participating in discussions with patriotism and Union sprit, free from narrow-minded ideas of attachments to race, attachments to isms, locality,” he said.

Delegates are expected to approve provisions concerning the sharing of administrative and judicial powers, which were agreed at earlier sessions.

The deliberations will also include the adoption of provisions concerning coordination among the upper and lower houses of parliament and regional legislative assemblies as well as the role of the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces).

The National Convention, which met six times between 1993 to 1996, resumed in May last year as the first step of the road map, which also provides for a national referendum on the draft constitution, followed by parliamentary elections.

Participants at the latest session of the convention included five delegates from an armed national group, the Shan State Army (North), which failed to attend the previous session in February and March this year.

Speaking to Myanmar Times after the opening ceremony, a delegate from the group, U Sao Khai Pha, said it had returned to the convention because it supported the emergence of a national constitution.

“We want it to emerge peacefully,” U Sao Khai Pha said.

A delegate with the Pa-O national group from Shan State, U Khun Kyaw Thu, said he believed the convention would achieve its goals.

“I believe that participating in the National Convention will benefit our national group,” U Khun Kyaw Thu said.

The ceremony was attended by diplomats from most Asian nations, as well as Russia, and representatives of United Nations agencies led by resident UN coordinator, Mr Charles Petrie.

About 80 reporters, including about 30 Bangkok-based correspondents and photographers from 16 news agencies, attended the ceremony.

Speaking at a media briefing in Yangon on December 3, the vice-chairman of the National Convention Convening Commission and Myanmar’s Chief Justice, U Aung Toe, said it would not be possible to conclude deliberations at the reconvened session.

“After this session, some more National Convention sessions will be held,” said U Aung Toe.

He added that deliberations on eight provisions of the draft constitution were to be finalised after the current session, saying it was not possible to predict the time frame for the convention.

“For us (the government), the sooner the better,” U Aung Toe said.

U Aung Toe accused the National League for Democracy of delaying the process to draft a constitution.

He said a constitution would have already been introduced if the NLD had not withdrawn from the convention in 1995.

“Had the NLD given priority to the national interests of the nation and people and cooperated with the government with a positive attitude at that time, the State Constitution would have been completed earlier and a multi-party democracy system ... would have been introduced,” U Aung Toe said.

He said apart from the NLD, two other political parties, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and the Shan State Kokang Democracy and Unity Party, did not return to the convention when it resumed in May 2004, despite receiving invitations from the government.