Junta gives little time to comprehend draft constitution: opposition

Solomon & Mungpi
Mizzima News
April 10, 2008

New Delhi – People in Burma have 'too little time' to comprehend the contents of the draft constitution, which the ruling military junta seeks to approve in a referendum in May, opposition groups said on Thursday.

The Burmese junta's official publishing house 'Sapay Beikman' on Wednesday began distributing the draft constitution for sale to retail book stalls, sources in Rangoon said.

"Since yesterday we have begun distributing copies of the draft constitution to retailers," a salesperson of the Sapay Beikman told Mizzima.

The salesperson added that copies of the new constitution are being sold to members of the public by retailers at a price of 1000 Kyat (USD1).

While the draft constitution is being made public a month before the referendum, opposition groups pointed out that it provides too little time to the people to understand the contents of the constitution, on which they will be voting.

"It is impossible for the people to understand the constitution and it cannot reach all the people," Nyan Win, spokesperson of Burma's main opposition party – the National League for Democracy said.

Nyan Win, who is a lawyer by profession, warned that approving the constitution would only cement and perpetuate military rule in Burma, and therefore the people need to thoroughly understand the contents of the constitution before voting on it.

Meanwhile, shopkeepers in Rangoon said copies of the draft constitution are being sold out fast.

"About 30 copies of the constitution are already sold out from our shop," a shopkeeper said. He added that retailers have been supplied with 50 copies of the draft constitution to be sold to the public.

But it is still not clear how many copies have been printed and whether it is being distributed in rural areas.

Thakin Chan Tun, a veteran Burmese politician, who has been waiting for the regime to release copies of the draft constitution, said he could not get hold of a copy despite rushing off to get one immediately after learning that it has been made available.

"I asked my people to get a copy of the draft immediately after I came to know that it has been published, but the shopkeepers said it had been sold out," Thakin Chan Tun told Mizzima.

However, the shopkeeper, who spoke to Mizzima on condition of anonymity, said he had not read the draft constitution as he was too busy with his daily work.

"I have bought one for myself but I still could not read it because I am too engaged in my work," he added.

Aye Thar Aung, a veteran politician in Rangoon and Secretary of the Committee Representing Peoples' Parliament, a group formed with parliamentarians elected in the 1990 election, said the junta is deliberately giving too little time to the people.

"The junta is giving too little time so that people will not guage the constitution fully," Aye Thar Aung said.

The junta's draft constitution, a copy of which is with Mizzima, reserves 25 percent of parliamentary seats for the military, and allows the army to declare a state of emergency anytime it deems fit.

In a bid to prevent any future amendments, the military has made the constitution amendment process rigid. The constitution states that any amendment to the constitution must be proposed by 75 percent of the legislative body and approved by all eligible voters in a referendum.