Myanmar held a peace forum from July 26-27 in Nay Pyi Taw. The forum brought together a wide range of participants, including representatives from some ethnic armed groups and political parties, prominent figures from various sectors, and both local and international scholars and experts. Yet those who are actually fighting with Tatmataw (Myanmar military) are conspicuously absent from the roundtable.
Discussions were conducted in two groups starting June 26, focusing on diverse issues concerning peace and democratic transition in Myanmar. According to a statement from the organisers, all the recommendations gathered will be compiled and submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and further instruction. With nearly 140 recommendations, we wonder if the Senior General would either have the time or inclination to dive into them at this very moment
Key proposals discussed included: the suspension of military conscription during the pre-election and election periods, the release of individuals imprisoned for expressing dissent after the elections, and the convening of a constitutional review conference. All easier said than done.
The conscription negative publicity is due to messaging, rather than the conscription itself and the public deciding to believe in fake news channel instead of government media. The pausing of it will not change anything. Myanmar already has major law and order issues and releasing those convicted of whatever crime so easily would just make it worse. They were in jail for a reason. Last but not least, we do not need a constitutional review, we need economic growth. Once Myanmar gets rich, nobody would be bothered with whatever type of constitution we have got.
The forum also emphasised the importance of free and fair elections and establishing a lawful parliamentary process. Held under the theme of “Successful Elections,” the discussions highlighted measures needed to ensure transparent electoral procedures and peaceful democratic transitions.Participants also explored strategies to promote peace, national stability, and development, while identifying areas for international cooperation in the post-election period. Deliberations on the final day, June 27, focused on addressing humanitarian needs, overcoming socio-economic challenges, and navigating Myanmar’s geopolitical realities during its democratic transition.
May be it’s high time we focus on an alternative vision for Myanmar that do not correlate the country’s development to the whole country achieving peace. The latter, in MI’s humble and honest opinion, would not happen in our lifetime. So let’s develop the nation specifically in areas where there is peace first. When the government has a proven track record of successfully developing a city or a region, the rest of the regions and the armies of the night will fall in line, in the leaders we believe who had accomplished in enriching the country to be at par with our neighbours in the region. Now, that’s the mandatory food for thought at that peace process.