ASIA/MYANMAR - The era of hope: the new Burmese government of national unity, in opposition to the military junta

Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - "An era of fear and division ends and an era of hope begins". A time, says Salai Maung Taing San, spokesman for the newly formed "Burmese National Unity Government", in which "there will be no more religious or ethnic divisions". With these words, in an online conference, the "shadow government" was formed that opposes the military junta that took power in a coup d'etat on 1 February. The military ousted the civil authorities of the country from the civilian government even before the new parliament elected in the consultations on November 8 could meet. Those parliamentarians, in the aftermath of the coup, set up a Committee (Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw-CRPH) which announced on April 16 the formation of the government of national unity and that of a new federal army.
As confirmed to Agenzia Fides by Salai Maung Taing San, the new government also represents ethnic minority parties and their defense groups and Burmese civil society. The unification process is based on a federal Charter that draws up a new federal Constitution, which sanctions the end of the 2008 one wanted by the military. He therefore proposes himself as the true representative of a country in the hands of a bloody junta that has killed over 730 people to date and that has just transformed the Buddhist New Year (Thingyan) celebration into a bloodbath.
Dr. Salai Maung Taing San, who is also CRPH's special envoy to the UN, explained to Fides that the new executive still has U Win Mynt as president and the Nobel Aung San Suu Kyi as State Councilor, who maintain their offices despite being under arrest.
The executive will therefore be led by Vice President Duwa Lashi La and Prime Minister Mahn Win Khaing Than, in a government of 26 members of whom 11 are ministers: half of them are not of Bamar ethnicity (majority ethnicity in Myanmar) and eight are women. The Prime Minister is of ethnic Karen and the Vice President of ethnic Kachin. Salai Maung Taing San himself is a respected Chin State doctor.
Paradoxically, the junta achieved an unimaginable political result only a few months ago. Now, for the first time, a federation is envisaged. The road will not be easy, starting with the recognition of the clandestine government but its fate will soon become clear: on April 24 in Jakarta, the ten members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will meet and has called an urgent meeting on the Myanmar case.
Prime Ministers and Heads of State are expected, but also the head of the military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing. According to what has been learned from Fides, the ceremonial should include a closed-door meeting with the general. Then the actual summit will take place, with a formula that would make it possible to understand if there is the possibility of mediation, without letting the general sit at the table, which would amount to an acknowledgment of the coup junta, hitherto avoided. The new Burmese Government of National Unity suggests that ASEAN's invitation, rather than general Min Aung Hlaing, should be addressed precisely to the newborn executive which really represents the Burmese population. (MG-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 19/4/2021)

Share:

politics

---

---

human rights

---

---

civil society

---

---