Burmese parliament faces boycott as NLD reject oath wording

The stumbling block arose earlier in the week over a vow to “safeguard the constitution,” at a moment when the NLD were preparing to begin working alongside members of the same military regime which imprisoned their leader for more than 15 years.

The country’s largest opposition party planned to only temporarily accept the constitution, which currently reserves 25 per cent of seats to the military. Instead they pressed for the oath’s wording to be changed to “respect the constitution.”

“It’s absolutely impossible for us to go into parliament and swear by this, because our main aim is to eventually have the constitution changed,” said Nay Chi Win, 30, an NLD negotiator.

The appeal was met with an unclear response from the government and has led to accusations of trickery from NLD candidates. In a press conference yesterday, the party announced that unless an amendment is made, they will not sit on Monday.

The stand-off does not bode well for Burma’s fledgling parliament which was formed only two years ago after former General Than Shwe decided to step down from politics and cede power to a military-backed government.

Provisions are written into the current constitution to allow amendments, but a vote would require the backing of more than 75 per cent of members.

If the NLD begins bargaining at this stage, Ms Suu Kyi is faced with the impossible task of convincing the remaining 25 per cent of military candidates to vote themselves out.

For many the boycott will be reminiscent of the NLD’s refusal to run in the 2010 elections because of the current 2008 constitution, which enshrines the role of the Burmese military in the nation’s politics.

This time round the military have dug their heels in.

“They didn’t tell us what they planned to do, they only told us that candidates must swear by the constitution,” added Mr Win.

The NLD chose to enter Burmese politics in the hopes that with a voice in parliament they will still be able to lobby government and use their massive public support to gain a foothold for the next elections in 2015. But a massive distrust of the military is still apparent.

“It’s part of their nature to play these games,” said U Win Htein, the NLD candidate for Meiktila. “They are the same generals who have ruled the country for more than 20 years.”

NLD campaign manager Nyan Win said the NLD were doing all they could to ensure a political stalemate does not develop. But analysts predict the situation could drag on, as meeting the NLD’s request to change the wording of the oath could be complicated and face opposition from some legislators.