Myanmar President Thein Sein on Thursday backed proposed changes to the country’s constitution that would allow opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to bid for his post in the 2015 elections, but said that any amendment should incorporate “principles to protect the country’s sovereignty.”
“I don’t want a situation that limits any Myanmar citizen from the political leadership of the country,” he said in a monthly radio address.
But he cautioned that any amendment to the charter should include “suitable basic principles to protect the country’s sovereignty,” without elaborating.
“In solving polarizing arguments on the current debate over [the qualifications of] leadership, we all are responsible for preventing a political crisis,” he said.
The constitution currently bars 68-year-old National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running for president because her two sons are British citizens.
Aung San Suu Kyi has labeled the constitution fundamentally “undemocratic” and called for extensive changes, including to the process for making amendments to the 2008-written charter.
Thein Sein told the nation Thursday that he supports amending the constitution.
“In order to have a healthy constitution, I hold to the principle that it must be amended [or have articles removed] in order to suit the political, social and economic needs of the society,” the reformist president said.
Those needs include fulfilling agreements based on peace talks with the country’s armed ethnic groups aimed at national reconciliation after decades of civil war and the strengthening of “a free and open society on par with democratic standards and values.”
He also warned all stakeholders that debate over the constitution should not jeopardize the progress Myanmar has made in terms of democratic and economic reform following decades of military rule.
In November, Aung San Suu Kyi proposed four-way talks among Thein Sein, Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann, Armed Forces Commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and herself on amending the country’s constitution, saying it would boost the process of revising the charter.
But Thein Sein, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and at least one ethnic-based party said any talks among top leaders should wait until after a parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing public proposals for revising the charter completes its work this month.
‘Cautious’ speech
On Thursday, Thein Sein defended the NLD’s right to hold public rallies and discussions on amending the constitution and said his administration maintained an “open door policy” on holding dialogue with various organizations on the process.
“[The NLD’s actions] indicate the political maturity of our society, where we can hold free public political activities,” he said.
“I will always open the door to dialogue with various organizations. In carrying out reforms, we are trying to fulfill or adjust to demands delicately based on the opinions of many different organizations.”
Thein Sein acknowledged that not every political organization would be satisfied by this attempt to include a wide range of voices in the reform process and urged stakeholders to be considerate of one another’s needs.
“I have not avoided taking responsibility from the first day I took office and I have tried to act right, adjusting to various desires given the existing political conditions,” he said.
“I would like to urge [interested parties] to make political choices bearing in mind that possible opportunities may be squandered by pushing too hard with unreasonable expectations based on the current political situation.”
The Irrawaddy online journal quoted an NLD official and political commentator as saying that the president’s speech was vague and lacked a concrete plan of action for amending the constitution.
“It depends how he will implement his words,” Nyan Win, an NLD spokesman said Thursday.
Yan Myo Thein, a political analyst, also called the radio address ambiguous, saying, “He did not give a clear message. He was very cautious in his speech.”
USDP proposals
Thein Sein’s address followed a surprise announcement earlier this week by the USDP, which said it had put forth proposals for amending the constitution, including one that would allow Aung San Suu Kyi to run for president if her sons gave up their British citizenship to become Myanmar nationals.
The NLD leader said she would leave the decision to her sons, both of whom are over the age of 21, adding that “it would not be up to the standards of democracy if there was a law to decide for them.”
The proposal was one among 73 floated amendments to the constitution the USDP voted for at a party congress in Naypyidaw.
The USDP voted in favor of changes to a total of 52 articles in the constitution, in addition to 21 articles it voted to eliminate entirely. The NLD is pushing to change 168 articles.
Myanmar’s 109-member parliamentary review committee, formed in June, is currently accepting proposals for amending the constitution from the public and will report on them this month, a month later than originally scheduled after it extended the deadline.
Members of the public have submitted about 320,000 letters of suggestion thus far, the Irrawaddy said, citing the committee.
Myanmar’s ruling officials have mostly expressed support for constitutional amendments, but with elections coming up in 2015, some observers say the process so far has been slow.
The charter reserves a quarter of seats in parliament for the military and requires a three-quarters majority for a national referendum on proposed amendments.
Thein Sein said the military also submitted proposals to the parliamentary committee, but has not provided details.
Ethnic-based political parties in Myanmar and armed rebel groups negotiating cease-fire agreements with the government have called for amendments that allow ethnic groups and states greater autonomy.
Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.