The Fighting Peacock and a Nation in Transition

By Sayar Mya

The book is about a political party in Myanmar named National League for Democracy founded by people from various walks of life in the midst of upheavals that started in 1988.

The chair of the party is no other than iconic Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the noble laureate.

The symbol of the party is the fighting peacock. It is associated with the decades-long democratic struggle against military dictatorship in the country. The symbol closely resembles a green peafowl, as it has a tufted crest. The NLD party symbol is adopted from the Myanmar (Burmese) Student Union flag.

The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections held by the military government, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). However, it did not transfer power to the NLD.

After a long and bitter political struggle for many years of the NLD hand in hand with the masses, the party won a landslide victory in the 2015 general elections.

In March 2016, the civilian government led by the NLD took over the administration from the military-backed government of the country.

The book tells in dashing lines about a nation in transition under fledgling democracy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jul 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543746709

Sayar Mya

The author is a retired diplomat of the Myanmar Foreign Service who had served in various capacities in four neighboring countries including China and in the Yangon Headquarters. He served (42) years under successive governments of the country. After retirement, he remains as a freelance with no political affiliation.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Sayar Mya (MOFA).

ISBN:                  Softcover                        978-1-5437-4671-6

                            eBook                             978-1-5437-4670-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

CONTENTS

Dedication

Biography Of Sayar Mya (MOFA)

Chapter 1     National League for Democracy: Chronology

Chapter 2     Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Quotes from Interviews

Chapter 3     National League for Democracy in Brief

Chapter 4     NLD Party Manifesto

Chapter 5     NLD Party Congress

Chapter 6     2015 General Election

Chapter 7     Formation of NLD government

Chapter 8     NLD CEC members

Chapter 9     Brief Biographies of CEC Members

Chapter 10   Formation of National Reconciliation and Peace Centre

Chapter 11   Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement

Chapter 12   Tatmadaw: Armed Forces of Myanmar

Chapter 13   Union Peace Conference - 21st Century Panglong

Chapter 14   Pyidaungsu (Union) Accord

Chapter 15   Situation in Rakhine

Chapter 16   NLD New Economic Committee

Chapter 17   Economic Policy of Myanmar

Chapter 18   Myanmar Investment Law

Chapter 19   Myanmar Foreign Policy

Chapter 20   Myanmar and ASEAN

Chapter 21   Myanmar Youth Policy

Chapter 22   Educational Reform

Chapter 23   Rule of Law

Chapter 24   Achievements of NLD

Chapter 25   Myanmar New President

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my dearest wife Nwe (a) Daw Than Nwe;

And to all my loving family members - - -

Daw Myat Thuzar Than (Hong Kong) & U Soe Ko Ko (Ottawa); U Than Myat & Daw Ni Ni Htet and grand kids Yuki and Yoshi of Eagle Vale in Sydney - - -

For their energetic encouragement and strong support to my humble endeavor to applause and appreciate The Fighting Peacock and A Nation in Transition into a paperback for worldwide distribution.

In the spacious of space and enormity of eternity, it is my joy to spend a lifetime and an epoch with my beloved family members.

All the royalties accrued from the book will be donated to orphanages being managed by organizations of Interfaith in my beloved country - - - Myanmar.

Sayar Mya (MOFA),

Yangon: July 2018.

47982.png

BIOGRAPHY OF SAYAR MYA (MOFA)

Mya / April 2018.

47977.png

CHAPTER 1

National League for Democracy: Chronology

27 September 1988: National League for Democracy (NLD) was formed. Press announcement (1) was issued on that day signed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. National League for Democracy (NLD) is founded by people from various walks of life.

30 September 1988: NLD submitted application with Multi Party General Election Convening Commission.

2 October 1988: NLD formed (30) member committee through press statement (2). Party Manifesto was announced the same day.

30-10-1988: Election Commission permitted the registration of NLD.

November 1988: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi successfully concluded (13) days party organizing trip to upper Myanmar covering over (50) towns and villages.

29 November 1988: U Aung Gyi submitted an emergency assessment paper to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in which some party members were being accused of leaning communist ideology. The accusation matter was set to vote at another meeting.

3 December 1988: Central Leading Committee meeting was held and voted over the accusation. U Aung Gyi lost in the voting.

14-18 December 1988: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi toured to Mon State as her second organizing trip.

14 – 25 January 1989: Ayeyawaddy Region was the third of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi party organizing trip. It was a hard and tough trip as (34) NLD members were arrested.

February 1989: Organizing trip to Shan State was her fourth organizing trip with focus on political essence of Union Spirit.

9 February 1989: Central Executive Committee was formed with Thura U Tin Oo as Chairman and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as General Secretary.

20 July 1989: NLD senior leaders Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Win Tin and U Tin Oo were arrested by the military.

27 May 1990: The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections.

20 July 1989: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was put uder house arrest.

29 July 1990: The NLD issued the Gandhi Hall Declaration. It called the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

1990: SLORC does not transfer power to the NLD.

15 October 1991: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1993: Representatives of the NLD attended the National Convention organized by SLORC to draft a constitution.

10 July 1995: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released after six years of house arrest.

1995: The National Convention was postponed for an indefinite period.

9 November 1996: The motorcade that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was traveling in with other National League for Democracy leaders U Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung, was attacked in Yangon. About 200 men swooped down on the motorcade, wielding metal chains, metal batons, stones and other weapons.

27 March 1999: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, Dr. Michael Aris, died of cancer in London. She had not seen him for four years since a Christmas visit in 1995. The government always urged Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to join her family abroad, but she knew that she would not be allowed to return to Myanmar. She was also separated from her children, who live in the United Kingdom and the United States, but starting in 2011, they have visited her in Myanmar.

1996-2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi defied travel bans imposed against her and continually tried to leave Yangon.

March 1996: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi boarded the train bound for Mandalay but citing a last minute problem the coach she was in has been left behind at the station.

2 September 2000: Around 200 riot police surrounded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade near Dalla and forced them to return to Yangon after a nine-day standoff.

23 September 2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for a second time after she defied travel restrictions.

October 2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi began secret talks with the military Government. Substance of the talks remained secret, and that UN Special Envoy Razali acted as a facilitator.

7 December 2000: US President Bill Clinton conferred America’s highest civilian honor namely the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in absentia. Her son Alexander Aris received the award on her behalf.

6 May 2002: A government spokesman said that she was free to move because we are confident that we can trust each other. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi proclaimed a new dawn for the country.

30 May 2003: Government-sponsored mob attacked her motorcade in the northern village of Depayin. It resulted with murdering and wounding many of her supporters.

September 2003: She was allowed to go home, but remained under house arrest.

March 2004: Razali Ismail, UN special envoy to Myanmar, has his last meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

29 November 2004: It was learned that her house arrest has been extended for another year.

20 May 2006: Ibrahim Gambari, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, met Aung San Suu Kyi, the first visit by a foreign official since Razali’s visit in 2004.

25 May 2007: The government extended her house arrest for another year.

19 August 2007: Protests led by Buddhist monks began following steep fuel price increases, and continued each day, despite the threat of a crackdown by the military.

22 September 2007: Although still under house arrest, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi made a brief public appearance at the gate of her residence in Yangon to accept the blessings of Buddhist monks who were marching in support of human rights.

24 October 2007: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reached a total of 12 years in detention.

31 January 2008: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met members of NLD leadership. She asked that they convey to the public the message that We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

6 May 2008: US President George W. Bush signs legislation awarding a Congressional Gold Medal in absentia to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

2008 Constitution

May 2008: The government announced that the 2008 constitution had passed by a 92 percent approval from a 98 percent voter turnout.

30 November 2008: John William Yettaw, a 53-year-old American from Falcon, Missouri, went to the home of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi informed the authorities the following day that an intruder came to the house.

3 May 2009: An American man, identified as John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake to her house uninvited and was arrested when he made his return trip three days later.

13 May 2009: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested for violating the terms of her house arrest because the swimmer, who pleaded exhaustion, was allowed to stay in her house for two days before he attempted the swim back.

August 2009: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted, and sentenced to three years imprisonment.

24 October 2009: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reached a total of 14 years in detention, most of it under house arrest.

8 March 2010: The government issued the political party registration law which stated that political parties cannot legally be registered with the Electoral Commission with any members who are convicts.

March 2010: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi expressed her opposition to contesting the 2010 elections, the first Myanmar have held in 20 years. The NLD announced it will boycott the vote.

6 May 2010: National League for Democracy Party in Myanmar was banned.

24 October 2010: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reached a total of 15 years in detention, most of it under house arrest.

7 November 2010: Elections in Myanmar, the first in 20 years, were held just a week prior to legally sanctioned date of release on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development party had won by a landslide.

13 November 2010: The current detention order expired. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.

15 November 2010: Speaking to reporters at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD), Daw Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to keep working toward restoring democracy and improving human rights in Myanmar.

28 January 2011: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s recorded message is played at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, in which she stressed the need for Myanmar to re-establish ties with the rest of the world.

18 November 2011: U Nyan Win, the spokesman for National League for Democracy, said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will participate in the next elections. National League for Democracy announced earlier in the day that it planned to re-register as a political party and participate in all future parliamentary elections.

13 December 2011: The National League for Democracy is granted permission to register for future elections in Myanmar.

18 January 2012: The NLD registered to run for parliamentary seats. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi formally registered to contest a Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house) seat in the Kawhmu Township constituency.

14 March 2012: In an official NLD campaign speech was broadcast on Myanmar state television.

1 April 2012: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament in Myanmar’s multiparty elections since 1990.

2 May 2012: Along with 33 other newly elected members of her party, the National League for Democracy took the oath of office for Myanmar’s parliament.

9 July 2012: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the Parliament for the first time as a lawmaker.

25 July 2012: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes her first speech in parliament. She called for laws to protect ethnic minority rights.

8 November 2015: The country’s ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, conceded defeat to the opposition, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi. NLD won 80 per cent of all electable positions during a general election, with the military reserving a quarter of total seats. The NLD won a sweeping victory in those elections, winning at least 255 seats in the House of Representatives and 135 seats in the House of Nationalities.

1 February 2016: For the first time, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of National League for Democracy MPs sat as a majority in parliament.

15 March 2016: Myanmar parliament elected U Htin Kyaw as president. He is a close friend and confidant of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

22 March 2016: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was nominated to join Myanmar’s new cabinet in April 2016.

30 March 2016: U Htin Kyaw was sworn in as Myanmar’s first elected civilian leader in over 50 years. In accordance with the provisions stated in article 232 of the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and article 12 of the Union Government Law, (18) persons have been appointed as Union Ministers. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi joined the National Defense and Security Council.

5 April 2016: The position of State Counsellor has been approved by the House of Nationalities on 1 April 2016 and the House of Representatives on 5 April 2016. The next day, her role as State Counsellor was established.

6 April 2016: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred by the 2008 Constitution from becoming the president, becomes State Counselor of Myanmar.

31 August 2016: The NLD government convenes the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference in Nay Pyi Taw in an effort to end armed conflicts that have continued for more than 60 years.

August – September 2017: A year after taking office, the NLD government is faced with a great set of challenges as Rakhine State sees militant attacks on security outposts, army clearance operations, and hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh.

27 September 2017: NLD marked the 29th anniversary of its founding.

21 March 2018: President U Htin Kyaw resigned.

30 March 2018: Myanmar’s President-elect U Win Myint was sworn in