Resurgent Win Naing asks junta to share 40 per cent power

by Nem Davies
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 14:50

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Veteran politician Win Naing, who has come out of hibernation, has urged the military regime to go in for 40 per cent power sharing in the forthcoming 2010 general elections.

The ‘Analysis Lecture on State of the Union 2010’ was held in Dolphin restaurant in Bahan Township, Rangoon Division yesterday and was attended by about 30 domestic and foreign reporters. Win Naing made his contention here.

“I asked the government for sharing 40 per cent power with democratic forces while the government takes the remaining 60 per cent. I don’t mean the number of people. I mean state power. I don’t mean please give us 40 MPs and you take 60. Though the number of seats won is related to state power. It cannot determine the holding of state power,” Win Naing said.

“The main reason for this demand is there is little chance by democratic forces of winning this election. Due to this I requested power sharing,” he said. The junta should consider this proposal, he added.

Another leading speaker at the lecture, the Democratic Party Chairman Thu Wei, said that he didn’t agree with Win Naing’s proposal. This party is preparing to contest in 2010 election.

“I don’t think much about these things. And also I don’t think there will be power sharing. It will be good if everything goes peacefully and smoothly as he (Thu Wei) said. But I don’t think it will happen. It is very difficult to predict anything under this government,” Thu Wei said.

Some of the participants, who attended the lecture, said that they were pleased with the visions and opinions presented by these two great politicians.

“Both views presented by these two are good but I liked what Win Naing said more. It is more acceptable as he talked about all the possibilities,” Ko Ko Latt from Rangoon told Mizzima.

Whatever policies are adopted by foreign countries towards Burma, it cannot be relied upon and create much hope as they have limited leverage. So the people in Burma should settle the Burma issue among themselves through coordination and negotiation, he suggested.

Moreover, despite only 25 per cent seats being reserved for the armed forces as per the provisions in the 2008 State Constitution, the military regime might try to secure more than 60 per cent state power by contesting in the elections through its former soldiers, the veteran politicians said.

“So I request them to accept power sharing if they really want to see democracy flourishing in Burma. I request them to share power at appropriate levels regardless of the number of seats the armed forces wins in the election,” Win Naing said.

But Thu Wei said that the people want to see change after the 20-year rule of the incumbent military regime. So he hoped he could do something for the people by contesting the 2010 election.

“There are many faults in our country. So I wish to contest in the elections. To rectify these faults effectively, we must have official authority to do so. Another point is we need to seek the people’s will and opinion,” he said.

“I’d like to urge those who contested in the 1990 election to express their will while they have the right to do so,” he further added.

On 24 September 2007, the speaker Win Naing, actor Kyaw Thu, comedian Zargana and many writers offered alms and drinking water to protesting monks on the Shwedagon Pagoda platform.

After the Saffron Revolution, the authorities arrested and detained Win Naing. Then he declared that he would never take part in political movements anymore. But now he has reappeared in the political arena going back on what he had said.

He said that he was still in a wait and watch mode and had not yet decided on contesting the 2010 election.