Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG) and three allied revolutionary organizations have issued a joint position statement outlining their shared goals to abolish the military dictatorship, ensure all armed forces operate under the command of an elected civilian government, and quash all attempts to reinstate the provisions of the military-drafted 2008 constitution.
The announcement, described as a “joint position statement by allied organizations engaged in revolutionary struggle towards annihilation of military dictatorship and establishment of a Federal Democratic Union,” was released a day ahead of the third anniversary of the junta’s failed coup.
The statement is accompanied by a list of “contact persons” for the NUG, the Chin National Front, the Karenni National Progressive Party and the Karen National Union.
According to the joint position statement, the groups’ first objective is to overturn the usurpation of state power by the military and terminate the involvement of the armed forces in politics. Ensuring that all armed forces operate solely under the command of a civilian government elected through democratic processes is the second of their six objectives.
The other objectives are: revoking the constitution of 2008 and quashing all attempts to reinstate its provisions; drafting and enacting a new constitution that embodies federalism and democratic values, while garnering the consensus of all relevant parties; establishing a new federal democratic union in accordance with the proposed federal democratic constitution; and instituting a system of transitional justice in order to address and remedy the injustices inflicted upon innocent parties throughout the conflict.
“Any election held under the provisions of the constitution of 2008 would not serve to restore democracy; it would merely serve to perpetuate military rule indefinitely,” the groups said in the joint position statement.
The military invalidated the 2008 constitution through its own actions, including the seizure of power in February 2021 through unconstitutional means, they said.
The outcome of the 2020 general election should not be construed as an endorsement of the political framework outlined in the 2008 constitution but as a mandate for revolutionary change and the establishment of a new political system, according to the joint position statement, which goes on to explain that the will of the voters, as demonstrated in the election results, bestows legitimacy upon the bodies working to reverse the military coup and to implement a new political system—specifically, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and the NUG.
However, the statement continues, “The stewardship of the nation in the post-revolutionary era shall be entrusted to all relevant parties in the cause of the revolution; it is under their collective leadership that we will forge a new nation.” The groups also state that they reject any initiatives to monopolize political power exclusively among the privileged.
“The armed forces shall hold no right to participate in any future political discourse,” the statement reads.
If the leadership of the Myanmar military unconditionally accepts the six political objectives, negotiations could be held to terminate military rule and facilitate a peaceful transition of power, the groups added.
Dr. Tayzar San, a prominent anti-regime protest leader, welcomed the joint position statement as a good move showing that the revolutionary forces had reached agreement on common political objectives.
“It is also further proof that the people’s revolution will definitely win. And it could ease the concerns of those who are worried about the transition period after the revolution,” he wrote on his Facebook account.
However, many people have already expressed dissatisfaction at the small number of groups cited in the joint position statement, saying they expected to see more after three years of resistance to the coup.
NUG Minister for Planning, Finance and Investment U Tin Tun Naing, who was listed as one of the contact persons in the statement, told The Irrawaddy that at least one other organization was involved in the discussions that led to the joint position statement. Thought it wasn’t named, it would issue its own announcement regarding the joint position statement, he said.
The minister declined to identify the organization, but the Kachin Independence Organization was reportedly involved in the discussions.
Addressing the concern over the small number of groups involved, he expressed confidence that the positions outlined in the statement were shared by all revolutionary organizations that are fighting to topple the military dictatorship and establish a federal democratic union, even if they were not named. The participating groups would strive to achieve broader representation in the future, he said.
“The joint position statement covers three periods: the revolutionary period, a transition period, and a period of building a federal democratic union. We issued it as we have heard concerns from the public as well as internationally that the country would be torn apart in the post-revolutionary times. The joint position statement highlighted the determination of our [four] groups to work together throughout all those periods with other revolutionary groups,” he said.
According to the joint position statement, “continued political and military pressure (internal and external)” against the military junta was among the groups’ action plans.
After the military regime is completely removed, a Transitional National Unity Government (T-NUG) will be formed, and “federal unit governments” will be formed freely by respective states, the groups said. The demarcation of state/federal unit boundaries through peaceful political discourse, involving all main stakeholders during the transitional period, is also included among its action plans.
“To bring to fruition the vision, objectives, and positions we have stated, and to implement the action plans we have detailed, we are committed to the creation of robust mechanisms for cooperation across all strategically significant sectors. Moreover, we pledge to persist in our revolutionary endeavours, maintaining unwavering cooperation and collaboration with our allied revolutionary forces,” the groups pledged in the statement.
