Myanmar under mounting international pressure

International pressure is mounting for Myanmar to institute democratic reforms as lawmakers spearheaded an effort to block the country from assuming the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.

The first step was taken by the ASEAN parliamentarians yesterday during their Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) meeting in Manila where they passed a resolution urging the Inter-Parliamentary Union to put international pressure on Myanmar to undertake democratic reforms, starting with the release of political prisoners led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Malacañang, on the other hand, has tasked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to come up with a position on Myanmar’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

House Speaker Jose de Venecia, however, said he will move for Suu Kyi’s release by bringing this up in the ASEAN Parliamentary Caucus for Myanmar when foreign ministers from ASEAN member countries meet in Cebu City on April 9.

The resolution passed yesterday emphasized that Myanmar’s ruling military junta has not undertaken political changes as repeatedly committed in previous international fora.

With Myanmar scheduled to assume the chairmanship of the ASEAN next year, the resolution noted that this should not be allowed to happen unless the junta implements systematic and irreversible changes in its governance "as it will have a deleterious impact on ASEAN and its member nations."

Former President Corazon Aquino, in a message that was delivered by Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., challenged the international community to "express in most categorical terms of misgiving and disappointment" to the continued detention of the political leaders of Myanmar.

She also called for the international community to express "deep outrage over the continued atrocities and the general climate of repression and impunity in that country."

Aquino said bringing the human rights situation of Burma — Myanmar’s old name — to the attention of the ASEAN is one way "we can remind decision makers, policy makers and the general public that in this day and age of rapid global integration and greater demand for transparency and accountability there are still governments who refuse to open up and pave the way for the flourishing of democracy."

Senate President Franklin Drilon said the resolution will be presented during today’s ASEAN Plus Three meeting of parliamentarians, who will consider it for adoption to pave the way for the issue of Myanmar to be part of the agenda of the IPU General Assembly, which will also be held today at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

He told reporters any ASEAN-wide consensus on Myanmar would be communicated to the IPU delegates as an "emergency issue."

Although Myanmar will be tackled by the human rights committee of the IPU during the general assembly, it is not included in the official agenda.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Senate has adopted a resolution calling on Myanmar to voluntarily waive its chairmanship of ASEAN next year unless it has complied with the principles of human rights.

However, he noted that in the eight years since Myanmar became a member of ASEAN, "there are still hardly any signs that its military rulers are letting go of their iron grip of their country."

Malaysian parliamentarian Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who chairs the AIPMC, said ASEAN governments should have the guts to Myanmar to change and not hide behind the cloak of non-interference.

He said Myanmar should be expelled from ASEAN if its government cannot implement reforms.

Zaid claimed that economic interests — particularly the bilateral trade relations with Myanmar — are the main reason for the reluctance of ASEAN members to challenge Myanmar.

In case the IPU fails to include the Myanmar issue during its general assembly, Drilon said this could still be taken up this October during the IPU assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

Differing Positions

While Drilon said the Philippines would lead efforts to strip Myanmar of the chairmanship because it failed to institute democratic reforms, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Myanmar issue will have to be decided by the DFA.

"We will have to defer to the recommendation that DFA will give the Palace. We will have to await the recommendation of the DFA since the position of the Senate president is his position as member of the (legislative branch) and Congress is a separate body from the executive branch," Ermita said.

The Myanmar issue, terrorism, AIDS are the top agenda in today’s IPU general assembly, where President Arroyo will be the guest speaker at the inaugural ceremony this evening.

The Geneva-based IPU, of which the Philippines is an active member, is the premier international organization of parliaments of sovereign states. Composed of 144 national parliaments, its current president is Chilean senator Sergio Paez.

IPU secretary-general Anders Johnsson said a delegation from Myanmar, including parliamentarians in exile, would testify about the state of human rights in the country.

"The main concern is that there is no parliament in Myanmar and this is inadmissible," he said.

An IPU committee on human rights will hear the Myanmar delegates’ testimonies and make an official report to the plenary later in the week, Johnsson said.

Unity Government

Venecia said he personally told Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Soe Win during his visit to the Philippines last February to consider adopting a unity government in his "to lift Myanmar’s politics and economy from the dark ages."

He said current Myanmar head of state Sr. Gen. Than Shwe could maintain his post while Suu Kyi could be Prime Minister and Soe Win could serve as head of parliament.

De Venecia added that power sharing could extend to the cabinet level with the participation of various insurgency groups.

He said he will present this proposal through Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, where he expects it to "lead to a negotiated political settlement, break Myanmar’s long-running political deadlock and ultimately bring in the insurgent forces." — With Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla