Social work to go on without party’s name, NLD says

Friday, 30 April 2010 00:05 Myint Maung

New Delhi (Mizzima) - The main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, will carry out social work among the people by officially registered with the authority concerned, but not in the party’s name, the party’s vice-chairman says.
National League for Democracy (NLD) vice-chairman Tin Oo told Mizzima the group would avoid using any name containing “NLD”.
“We won’t take names like Social Aid Group NLD or Legal Aid Group NLD. If we took such names … the authority concerned would not accept [registration] by accusing us of conducting party activities under these names. It would be against the law,” he said.

The party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held at party headquarters in Bahan Township today passed the resolution. It was attended by all members except party general secretary Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest, and other sick members, chairman Aung Shwe and secretary U Lwin. Committee member Lun Tin was also absent.

“We need to be registered under the existing ‘Associations Act’ in Burma … Even if we cannot register our work, we shall continue our work based on our own spirit and will”, Tin Oo said.

NLD party has decided pulled out of the elections and said it would start social work after May 6 when the party expires as a legal entity under the new electoral laws.

But members at the CEC meeting on Monday had failed to reach a decision on whether the party’s name would be used in future party social work.

Besides continuing social work assisting families of political prisoners, caring for HIV/Aids patients and providing legal aid for the redress of grievances; the party would assist other democratic forces, the party decided.

The party also decided to issue guiding directives to all party branches in States and Divisions on the party’s stance.

“We instructed our party states and division branches against voluntarily lowering our party flags and removing party signboards. And we told them to pack our belongings and destroy unnecessary party documents, to keep all financial accounts according to law and to settle all accounts before the expiry date,” Tin Oo said. “We also instructed them to settle [all matters] with the landlords of our party offices in a peaceful manner in accordance with local conditions at each and every branch.”

There are more than 300 party branches in states, divisions and townships across Burma.