CNI News
27 Sept 2022
Bamar state issue- should be discussed after the overthrow of the junta, Political Analyst and Chinese affairs expert Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw told the CNI.
Emphasis should currently be placed on the common goal of overthrowing the junta and the issues of establishing new states should be addressed later, she said.
She told the CNI, “I don’t understand the issue much. We have the only common goal to topple the junta. I will be more beneficial for all if the issues of new states are discussed after the overthrow of the junta. The task in hand is to unite all the forces that are against the junta and to fight against it until we win victory. I think other issues can be solved gradually later. To oust the junta and to restore peace and stability is more important than other issues. As long as the junta is in existence, no one would achieve anything even if new states are established. So, I think we would be able to take further steps after winning a decisive victory over the junta by eliminating it.”
Ethnic youths in Maijaryan in July 2016.
On 1st February, 2022, the Tatmadaw ousted the government of the National League for Democracy by declaring a state of emergency after accusing the latter of forming a new government without addressing voters’ list issues in the 2020 general election.
Then, revolutionary forces are fighting against the Tatmadaw in cooperation with some ethnic armed organizations.
Some agreements over the formation of new states have been reached in the Union Accord, Spokesperson Col Saw Kyaw Nyunt of the Peace Process Steering Team told the CNI.
He said, “It is agreed in the part one of the union accord that a union based on democracy and federalism must be made up of regions/state. So, we understand that we will have to discuss whether an area should be a state or a region. It was also agreed that states/regions have equal status and their names will be discussed later. So, we understand that we need time and effort to discuss the matter.”
The union peace conference is in progress.
The 8-state solution is based on equal status of all states and calls for the establishment of a Bamar state as other ethnic groups have their own states.
Under the 2008 constitution, there are seven regions, seven states, one self-administered region, five self-administered zones and one Nay Pyi Taw Council Area in Myanmar.
Moreover, the Shanni, the Ta’aung (Palaung), the Wa and the Pa-O have called for establishment of their states while Mongla (Special Region-4) has aimed to establish a self-administered region/
