• Burmese
Sunday, June 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

‘A Change of Political Weather’: NLD Lawmakers Reflect on Personal Transformations

Tin Htet Paing by Tin Htet Paing
February 11, 2016
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
‘A Change of Political Weather’: NLD Lawmakers Reflect on Personal Transformations

NLD lawmakers at the Union Parliament assembly on February 9

3.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Aung Win used to fight against the government, asking for better policies. Now, he is sitting in Burma’s new Parliament hoping to create better policies.

The 70-year-old politician is a new Lower House lawmaker from Rangoon’s Hmawbi Township, representing the National League for Democracy Party (NLD), which won in a landslide victory against the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in November’s election.

The NLD secured almost 80 percent of contested seats in the Union Parliament, which convened on February 8. Lawmakers with unprecedented backgrounds have entered the legislature, including 71 ex-political prisoners.

RelatedPosts

Thai Parliament Elects Srettha Thavisin as PM: Unofficial Count

Thai Parliament Elects Srettha Thavisin as PM: Unofficial Count

August 22, 2023
608
Thai Govt Calls for Calm After Reformist’s PM Bid Fails

Thai Govt Calls for Calm After Reformist’s PM Bid Fails

July 20, 2023
486
Thai Reformist Suspended From Parliament in Fresh Blow to PM Bid

Thai Reformist Suspended From Parliament in Fresh Blow to PM Bid

July 19, 2023
394

Aung Win now sits in Parliament wearing pinni suit, a symbol of Burmese independence during both the country’s colonial days and during the NLD’s nearly 30-year struggle against a military regime.

After surviving a tough era of military repression, he is learning to act within a different political scene, he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. Burma’s new legislature, he said, represents a “change of political weather.”

“I have to remind myself everyday now to leave all of my political bias. Whoever it is, whatever their political party is, we should only focus on working together for the genuine benefit of the country,” he said.

His sentiments echo calls by NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi to prioritize national reconciliation.

Aung Win’s ex-military background is not typical within the country’s democratic movement. He attended the Defence Services Academy, graduating from the school’s ninth batch, along with outgoing President Thein Sein and the chairperson of the Union Election Commission, Tin Aye.

People from Aung Win’s town of Hmawbi still call him “Captain,” because it was the last rank he attained during his military service; he has not been a captain for 27 years.

He describes his transformation from soldier to politician during the 1988 student uprising, where he became the leader of a protest group in Hmawbi Township where he was a civil servant recovering from severe injuries he endured on the front line in the army.

For his role in the demonstrations, Aung Win was imprisoned for one and a half years. After his release, he joined the NLD and continued his political activities as a party member.

“I believed our people were right. That’s why I joined the protest against the government in 1988,” he explained during an interview with The Irrawaddy in late October last year while campaigning for the election.

“We suffered a lot of suppression. We fought for this one single goal—the change,” he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

“Now, we are given a chance to implement what we promised during our campaign.”

Another NLD lawmaker, Kyi Moe Naing, from Pegu Division’s Yedashe Township, said that adapting to a new political environment remains an emotional challenge. People put so much hope in the newly elected representatives, he said, but is now realizing that not everything he had wanted to do can be implemented immediately.

“I used to be the one who raised questions to the government,” he said. “But now, I ask questions of myself about what I can do for my people within this 5-year term.”

He was imprisoned from 1991 to 2000 for his involvement in pro-democracy movements.

Aye Win, a lawmaker from Irrawaddy Division’s Ingapu Township, has, like the ex-military MP Aung Win, been a member of the NLD since the party’s formation. He told The Irrawaddy that he is also experiencing new challenges in his role.

“I used to be the one who did party work at the township level,” he explained.

Even though Aye Win is now a political actor in the national arena, he said his original goal to work for the country remains unchanged.

“Our party has assigned me to ‘bigger duties’ to work for our people,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaParliament
Tin Htet Paing

Tin Htet Paing

...

Similar Picks:

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with U Soe Thane at the Oslo Forum in June 2012. / Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Stories That Shaped Us

Pro-Military at Heart, Myanmar Ex-Minister Once Dubbed a ‘Reformer’ Reveals True Colors

by Hpone Myat
December 27, 2021
21.7k

U Soe Thane, once hailed as the int’l face of U Thein Sein’s 2011 reforms, writes in his latest book...

Read moreDetails
Inspiring Women of Burma  
Burma

Inspiring Women of Burma  

by The Irrawaddy
March 18, 2016
33.5k

The contributions of some of Burma’s leading female figures are highlighted in the final part of a series that ran...

Read moreDetails
Australian-Karen Actress: ‘I Hope Karen People Will Have the Right to Self-Determination’
Asia

Australian-Karen Actress: ‘I Hope Karen People Will Have the Right to Self-Determination’

by Saw Yan Naing
January 18, 2016
13.7k

Tasneem Roc, an Australian actress who also has ethnic Karen roots, speaks with The Irrawaddy about her career and her...

Read moreDetails
Ominous Rumblings in Myanmar’s ‘Abode of Kings’
Stories That Shaped Us

Ominous Rumblings in Myanmar’s ‘Abode of Kings’

by Kyaw Zwa Moe
August 8, 2019
10.6k

The generals who built Naypyitaw will not be forced from it via charter change; can the city’s old and new...

Read moreDetails
Thai Parliament Elects Srettha Thavisin as PM: Unofficial Count
Asia

Thai Parliament Elects Srettha Thavisin as PM: Unofficial Count

by AFP
August 22, 2023
608

The property tycoon easily secured the needed votes in both houses, but his party’s decision to join hands with pro-military...

Read moreDetails
Burma’s Media Landscape Through the Years
Burma

Burma’s Media Landscape Through the Years

by The Irrawaddy
May 4, 2016
13.5k

In the wake of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on Tuesday, The Irrawaddy revisits a history of Burmese media stretching...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Charges Filed Against Students Over Jan. 20 Protest March

Charges Filed Against Students Over Jan. 20 Protest March

Burma’s Peace Process Needs a Fresh Start 

Burma’s Peace Process Needs a Fresh Start 

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Fraternal Facade: The Illusion of China-Myanmar Brotherhood at 75

Fraternal Facade: The Illusion of China-Myanmar Brotherhood at 75

4 days ago
995
Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

1 day ago
964

Most Read

  • Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

    Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.