Constitutional reforms in Myanmar ‘cannot be rushed’

SINGAPORE — Constitutional reforms in Myanmar need to be seen through, but the process cannot be rushed, the country’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Development, Mr U Soe Thane, said.

He was referring to moves by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party to lobby for constitutional amendments to allow its leader Aung San Suu Kyi to contest next year’s presidential election.

Noting that the country’s reforms are a long-term process, Mr U Soe Thane said he expects President Thein Sein to contest the election.

Mr U Soe Thane was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 7th ASEAN and Asia Forum organised by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs on Friday.

The NLD has been lobbying to amend Article 436 of the Constitution — a controversial clause that effectively bars any reform of the charter without full military approval — saying it is undemocratic. Ms Suu Kyi is barred from contesting the election under a constitutional provision which mandates that candidates with a foreign child or spouse cannot run for the presidency. Ms Suu Kyi’s late husband was British and she has two children who are also British citizens.

“We accept that the Constitution should be amended ... You can amend it according to the procedure,” said Mr U Soe Thane, referring to the requirement that constitutional amendments have to go through Parliament.

The NLD has ramped up its efforts to campaign for public support to amend Article 436. Two weeks ago, it said it had received five million signatures backing the move, but it is unclear how much sway the campaign holds with the country’s Parliament.

Last month, members of Mr Thein Sein’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) emphasised the importance of a parliamentary committee tasked with recommending constitutional amendments.

Since taking power in March 2011 after nearly half a century of military rule, Mr Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government has embarked on a series of political reforms — including releasing almost all of the country’s political prisoners and renewing dialogue with ethnic rebel groups that have fought for decades for autonomy. Next year’s poll is seen as a crucial test of the progress of the country’s reforms.

Observers have raised concerns that political reforms could slow or be rolled back amid rising violence between the majority Rakhine Buddhists and minority Muslim Rohingya. The government has also clamped down on media freedom. It recently handed out harsh sentences to four journalists under the Official Secrets Act. But Mr U Soe Thane underscored that the progress of reforms was a long-term process and managing the expectations of the people for full democratic reforms would be critical in ensuring the country’s stability.

“The main challenge is the great gap between the people’s needs and the government’s capacity. When we talk about democracy, they dream of the United States. Or they want democracy tomorrow. Their expectations are too high,” he said.

The opening up of Myanmar’s economy after 2011 has been keenly watched by foreign investors, but critics say the economic reforms have not gone far enough and many companies are still wary of doing business in Myanmar despite its tremendous growth potential, with the International Monetary Fund predicting growth of 8.5 per cent in the country this year.

Mr U Soe Thane said there was still work to be done, but the country has made progress in infrastructure development. “Three years ago, there were seven cars per 1,000 people. Now (there are) about 20 to 30 cars per 1,000 people and Yangon, as you know, has traffic jams. That is a sign of infrastructure development.”