• Burmese
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °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

Before Lawmakers, Shwe Mann Offers Peek Inside the Purge

Zarni Mann by Zarni Mann
August 18, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Before Lawmakers

Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann enters the parliamentary chamber on Tuesday in Naypyidaw. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

12.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NAYPYIDAW — A contrite Shwe Mann took to the floor of Parliament on Tuesday to offer an apology for the recent Union Solidarity and Development Party turmoil in which he has played lead victim, leaving unresolved for now the former USDP leader’s ultimate political fate.

Addressing lawmakers at the opening of the legislature’s 12th session, Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann made his most detailed comments yet about a party shakeup that saw him dumped from its leadership last week.

Saying he did not “want the problem to escalate,” Shwe Mann shared with parliamentarians a list of accusations leveled against him, including opaque use of party funds, exhibiting undemocratic intraparty behavior and failing to abide by the Constitution. The deposed USDP leader said concern over the potential negative impacts of these alleged transgressions to both the party and the country’s Nov. 8 general election had prompted his ouster.

RelatedPosts

Drafting Voters as Cannon-Fodder; Rewarding Lackey Ladies; and More

Drafting Voters as Cannon-Fodder; Rewarding Lackey Ladies; and More

July 5, 2025
892
Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
1.2k
Yadaya: How Myanmar’s Junta Boss Hopes to Hex His Way to Presidency

Yadaya: How Myanmar’s Junta Boss Hopes to Hex His Way to Presidency

May 29, 2025
1.8k

He stopped short of denying the accusations, saying only that he “did not intend to make these things happen” and “felt very sorry” about the contents of the letter.

“I want to support the smooth and successful democratization of the country, which is why I am talking about it here,” he told lawmakers.

Shwe Mann said both he and the party’s new joint chairman, Htay Oo, had received the letter on Thursday, notifying the men of the party reshuffle.

In order to avoid exacerbating the leadership turmoil, the ex-chairman of Burma’s ruling party said he had initially resolved to keep the letter to himself and “respond later as necessary.”

“But then, keeping silent about it can be taken as confessing to those things and I therefore present this letter so that people can make the judgment,” he added.

Ultimately, he said, “I only want stability and [for people to live] peacefully.”

Earlier on Tuesday, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi made vague reference to her working relationship with Shwe Mann—one aspect of the speaker’s parliamentary tenure that is believed to have irked some USDP leaders and the military establishment, likely contributing to his ouster.

Asked if she had lost an ally with the removal of the ruling party chairman and some of his allies in the USDP, Suu Kyi said: “No, because we are going to learn now who our real friends are; the friendship between friends will become stronger.”

The filing of a recall petition purportedly containing more than 1,700 signatures from residents of Shwe Mann’s Zayarthiri constituency was also cited in the letter as relevant to his demotion, and on Tuesday Suu Kyi described as “ridiculous” the constitutional provision allowing just 1 percent of a lawmaker’s constituents to sign a petition in order to set the process of impeachment in motion.

“For example, in Sagaing Township, our representative won by [earning] 93 percent [of votes] in 2012. Now, one percent has a right of recall? It’s ridiculous,” she said.

The NLD chairwoman also weighed in on the manner in which her former party counterpart was dismissed as chairman, with state security forces surrounding the USDP headquarters in Naypyidaw as the late-night party purge was executed last week.

“With regard to the happenings in the middle of the night, this is not what you expect in a working democracy,” she said.

Asked what the impact of the USDP’s intraparty dust-up might be on the parliamentary session convened Tuesday and elections due in November, Suu Kyi said her party would take a wait-and-see approach.

“If it is affecting the Parliament and elections, it can’t be ignored,” she said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaElectionParliament
Zarni Mann

Zarni Mann

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts
Analysis

Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts

by Hein Htoo Zan
September 20, 2024
16.8k

Three major operations to retake territory from ethnic armies and their allies are being hampered by troop shortages, experts say.

Read moreDetails
Former Myanmar 88 Gen Leader Opens People’s Party Office in Yangon 
Burma

Former Myanmar 88 Gen Leader Opens People’s Party Office in Yangon 

by The Irrawaddy
January 29, 2024
4.2k

Ko Ko Gyi has endorsed a junta election plan widely condemned as a sham aimed at cementing the military’s grip...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Coup-Maker Blames China; Admits Defeats in Northern Shan; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Coup-Maker Blames China; Admits Defeats in Northern Shan; and More

by The Irrawaddy
August 3, 2024
3.8k

Also this week, state-run cooperatives revived amid shortages, holes in poll plan revealed, emergency extended, general lost in Lashio battle,...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Billion-Dollar Myanmar Military ‘Outgunned’; Dictator Gets New Nickname; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Billion-Dollar Myanmar Military ‘Outgunned’; Dictator Gets New Nickname; and More

by The Irrawaddy
February 3, 2024
3.7k

Also this week, the regime’s election plan suffered another setback as the state of emergency was extended for another six...

Read moreDetails
China’s Geopolitical Maneuvering in Myanmar: A Tale of Influence and Infiltration
Guest Column

China’s Geopolitical Maneuvering in Myanmar: A Tale of Influence and Infiltration

by Vaishali Basu Sharma
August 9, 2024
3.4k

Beijing’s embrace of the junta’s election plan masks a strategy to deepen political and economic interference in neighboring country.

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Dictator Warns ASEAN; Dreams of Trains as Military Command Falls; and More  
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Dictator Warns ASEAN; Dreams of Trains as Military Command Falls; and More  

by The Irrawaddy
August 10, 2024
3.3k

Also this week, the regime shut exit for conscripts, reacted to historic Lashio defeat, sought Russian rescue, and conceded capture...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Central Bank Talks Up Stability amid Economic Challenges

Central Bank Talks Up Stability amid Economic Challenges

Thai Authorities Focus on Suspect Seen in CCTV Footage at Blast Site

Thai Authorities Focus on Suspect Seen in CCTV Footage at Blast Site

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Myanmar Regime Leader Rejects World Bank Economic Forecast as Inaccurate

Myanmar Regime Leader Rejects World Bank Economic Forecast as Inaccurate

5 days ago
1.5k
From Foreign Policy Drift to Diplomatic Freefall in Myanmar

From Foreign Policy Drift to Diplomatic Freefall in Myanmar

7 days ago
2.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

    Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar’s Civilian Govt Rebuffs Junta’s Appeal for ‘Cooperation’

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar’s Strongest Armed Ethnic Alliance is Faltering

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Defies Myanmar Junta Push to Cede Shan Towns in China Talks  

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Timor-Leste Hits Back at Myanmar Junta’s Objection to ASEAN Membership

    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.