CNI News
29 Mar 2023
As it is said that Myanmar will be built into a federal democratic union, political observers have been wondering which will be prioritized between federalism and democracy.
Both the State Administration Council and the National Unity Government have been mobilizing ethnic armed ogranizations by vowing to build a federal democratic union. However, they do not explain the details as to which type of union they intend to build.
As Myanmar is a multi-ethnic country with different religious faiths, priority should be given to federalism, Chairman Dr Aye Maung of the Arakan Front Party told the CNI.
He said, "Everyone is talking about democracy. Myanmar people will have to decide their own political fate. The main problem of Myanmar is the constitutional issues, which should not be underestimated. It is concerned with the identity of ethnic groups. Myanmar is a multi-ethnic state with different religious faiths. Frankly speaking, Myanmar is a union forcefully formed. How shall we form a union? Shall we follow the model of India? We need to take the policy negotiated by the then leaders when agreed to form a union into consideration. If so, we need to prioritize federalism, which guarantees equality of ethnic groups and self-determination. Democracy is something everyone has accepted and it should follow later."
A demonstration calling for democracy.
He added that democracy without federalism in Myanmar will not help overcome the crisis faced by the country.
Priority should be given to democracy and it has been promised that federalism desired by ethnic groups will be implemented later, Political Observer U Than Soe Naing told the CNI.
U Than Soe Naing said, "Both federalism and democracy are important and cannot be separated. Without democracy, federalism cannot be implemented. Without federalism, democracy will not be stable. We need to establish democracy first to topple the military. At the same time, democratic forces have promised to fully implement federalism."
Democracy and federalism is the head and tail of a coin and victory will be achieved only when both of them are implemented at the same time, U Khun Sai, who is involved in the peace process, told the CNI.
He said, "It has been arguing which should be prioritized between democracy and federalism for a long time. The issue has been resolved in an article. It say democracy and federalism are the head and tail of a coin and must be implemented at the same time. Neither is more important. It is necessary to implement both of the at the same time to achieve victory. It is food for thought."
An ethnic conference of EAOs in progress in July, 2016.
The nationwide ceasefire agreement stated that a union based on democracy and federalism will be built in accordance with the outcomes of the political negotiations.
Currently, the SAC and some EAOs are holding peace negotiations to build a federal union in the future.
Meanwhile, some ethnic groups are calling for formation of a Bamar state while other ethnic groups like Shanni, Pa-O, Ta'ang and Wa are demanding to establish their own states.
Currently, Myanmar is made up of seven regions, seven states, five self-administered zones, one self-administered division and the Nay Pyi Taw union territory.
