NUP seeks political alliances in Parliament

Friday, 14 January 2011 10:52 Ko Wild

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The National Unity Party (NUP), winner of the second highest number of parliamentary seats in the recent election, has invited other political parties to form a political alliance in the Parliament, according to party sources.

The NUP won 64 parliamentary seats in the election. The Parliament will convene on January 31.

Han Shwe, the central executive committee member and NUP spokesman, said, ‘We are ready to co-operate with any party in the Parliament for the sake of the people’.

NUP leaders met various MPs-elect on Thursday at party headquarters on University Avenue Road in Rangoon.

The party leaders at the meeting included NUP Chairman Tun Ye (a retired Lieutenant General), party central executive committee members, 12 MPs-elect of the People’s Assembly, five MPs-elect of the National Assembly, Chin leader Salai Hla Tun of Magway Division and Pa (aka) Khin Maung Swe, a Burmese from Kachin State.

Similarly, NUP canvassing committee members and MPs-elect various states and divisions met to discuss the party’s guidelines, according the party sources.

Party spokesman Han Shwe said that the first parliamentary conference on January 31 was intended to inform the MPs about parliamentary laws and regulations, which were recently announced.

State Peace and Development Council Chairman Sen-Gen Than Shwe signed the order stating that the National Assembly, the People’s Assembly and the Region and State assemblies would convene on January 31. Simultaneously, a list of law governing the Parliament were announced on state-run television. The first major issue on the Parliament’s agenda is the election of a president and the appointment of three vice presidents.

Han Shwe noted that the laws and regulations announced on television were imposed just two weeks before parliament will meet, so they have not been studied carefully. ‘

‘We are still struggling to get the publications to read’, he said.

The MPs-elect of the People’s Assembly and the National Assembly must inform Parliamentary officials before January 28 to participate in Parliament.

The NUP was formed after the 1988 pro-democracy uprising by former Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) members. The BSPP ruled Burma from 1962 to 1988.

In the 1990 election in Burma, the NUP placed second behind the National League for Democracy, which won by a landslide.