Members of Parliament Union Meet in Ireland, Issue Declaration
Members of Parliament Union Meet in Ireland, Issue Declaration
Sunday, January 25 2009, 05:49 PM EST
The Fourth Congress
of the
Members of Parliament Union – Burma
20-23 January 2008
Malahide, Ireland
Our Appreciation
We, the Members of Parliament Union – Burma, meeting here in Malahide, Ireland, from 20-23 January 2009, wish to express our profound thanks to the Government of the Republic of Ireland and to Burma Action Ireland for their strong support and assistance without which our Congress and consultation meeting with different democracy and ethnic organizations of Burma would not have been possible. Thanks to the generous and wholehearted support of the Government of the Republic of Ireland and Burma Action Ireland, we, the elected representatives of Burma, have been able to hold two Congresses in this hospitable country; the first one was in Dublin in 2000.
Our View & Demand
With regard to Burma, we are deeply concerned over the growing socioeconomic and political crises which are the result of the abuse of power, mismanagement, and short-sighted and intolerant policies of the Burmese military regime.
We are also concerned that the Burmese generals have prioritized their pursuance of the legitimization of military rule in Burma by unilaterally moving ahead with its planned elections in 2010 while the whole country is in the depths of despair and desolation as a result of poverty brought on by chronic mismanagement and policy failure. The situation is compounded by the devastation of Cyclone Nargis last year and the ongoing global economic crisis.
We are appalled that the Burmese generals, who, while clamoring about democracy, have turned their backs on every democratic principle and are committing the worst crimes against democracy activists and members of political parties, using thugs and apparatchiks to lawlessly overpower dissidents and cruelly impose long and harsh prison terms without proper trial and through the state-influenced judiciary, which is even impudently jailing lawyers defending democracy activists.
We are concerned that national leaders U Tin Oo and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are still under house arrest and U Khun Tun Oo is being made to serve an extraordinarily lengthy prison term. Political detainees, including 17 elected representatives and all leading members of the 88 Generation Students, were vindictively sentenced to decades-long prison terms. Many of the political prisoners, including elected representatives, are ailing — some with serious ailments — because of harsh prison conditions, lack of medical care, or refusal by the authorities to let them receive proper treatment. World governments, international human rights institutions, and the United Nations should not let this intolerable situation continue. We call on them to urgently step in to secure their release as soon as possible.
We are deeply disappointed that the Burmese regime, which is a member of the United Nations and obligated to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and all other international human rights standards and conventions to which it is a signatory, continues to violate with impunity the worst kind of human rights abuses, including Article 21 (3) of the UDHR which states that “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government”, the launching of military offensives in ethnic areas with disregard for human suffering and destruction of life and property, the use of torture, summary and arbitrary executions, massive employment of forced labor and forced portering for the military, and violence against women, including rape.
We are also concerned for the future of our country given the fact that the quality of education has drastically declined, with drop out rates increasing even at the primary school level, and infant mortality rate rising. The Burmese generals who in the past decades had sacrificed the future of many young people by ignoring their education and health care are once again gambling with the lives of the next generation of young leaders. These generals are also showing lack of concern for the spread of HIV/AIDS and drug resistant strains of tuberculosis and malaria. Hence, we hereby issue the following declaration:
MPU DECLARATION
(Malahide – 2009)
Reaffirmation
The MPU reaffirms that it will:
a) Strive to bring an end to authoritarian rule and military-dominated politics in Burma and restore democracy and human rights in Burma
b) Endeavor to become a potent force that democracy and ethnic movements inside the country can rely on
c) Contribute to the establishment of a Federal Union of Burma which guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of ethnicity, gender, and belief
Our Role & Mandate
a) Our role is to support and facilitate the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other election-winning parties to bring democracy and national reconciliation to the country.
b) Our mandate is derived from the election victory of the NLD and other political parties in the 1990 general elections.
Our Beliefs
A. The MPU firmly believes that the 2008 Constitution of the Burmese regime will not lead to democracy, resolve national problems, or bring peace and prosperity to the nation. The military leaders should review the constitution together with the NLD and other stakeholders so that constitutional amendments can be made to lessen military control over different aspects of political life and remove restrictions imposed on fundamental rights of the people of all nationalities.
B. The MPU is convinced that only an inclusive, equitable, and transparent common program involving all national forces can help resolve Burma’s socioeconomic and political problems peacefully.
With this in mind, the MPU believes that the following steps should be taken by the Burmese generals to urgently begin a process of national reconciliation:
a) Freedom for Political Prisoners
Immediately and unconditionally release NLD leaders U Tin Oo and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy Chairman U Khun Tun Oo, detained elected representatives, and all other political prisoners, including leading members of the 88 Generation Students, so that they can participate in the national political process
b) Dialog
Immediately accept NLD’s offer for a dialog to pave the way for a peaceful and democratic transition within a set timeframe.
c) Ambience
While revoking all unjust laws and orders which criminalize legal political activities, conditions conducive to a credible democratic transition should be created and this should be done by lifting restrictions on basic political freedoms, such as freedom of association, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly to ensure that the people can freely participate in the political process.
d) UN Mediation
Extend sincere cooperation with the good offices of the UN Secretary-General and accept its offer to mediate and help resolve Burma’s political stalemate.
`
Our Programs continue http://www.ncgub.net/article.php?story=20090125174957661
