STATEMENT OF THE ASEAN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY MYANMAR CAUCUS (AIPMC) ON THE VISIT OF ASEAN SPECIAL ENVOY AND MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DATO' SERI SYED HAMID ALBAR TO BURMA

ASEAN should take a stronger stand against Burma's military junta in the wake of the disappointing visit last month of its special envoy, Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Syed Hamid Albar, to Burma which failed to bring the country and its long suffering people any closer to democratic transition.

Although the much-awaited “fact finding” visit achieved nothing tangible, the AIPMC hopes that ASEAN will not shy away from bringing about political and economic reforms just because it appears difficult. It takes strong political will and determined leadership to see through what ASEAN so courageously started in December and we hope the organization will be able to confound its critics by being resolute in tackling one of its most pressing problems.

“ASEAN may have been able to avoid difficult situations in the past, but the stakes are so much higher in today's interrelated world. Now is not the time for ASEAN to lose its nerve when dealing with Burma,” said AIPMC vice-president and Indonesian parliamentarian Nursyahbani Katjasungkana.

“The relevance of the entire organization rests on how effectively it deals with Burma. ASEAN must take into consideration international views and policies on Burma, especially from organisations like the European Union and the United Nations, that impact political and economical relations member states have with such global partners,” she added.

That Syed Hamid was barred from meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), may suggest that Burma's military regime, also known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), is adamant in clinging on to power. But its grip is more precarious than it appears.

The hasty move last year of Burma's capital city from Rangoon to a half-completed bunker in central Burma, the apparent inability of the regime to cope with the bird flu epidemic and the authorities' dwindling grip on the economy, undermines the SPDC's defiant propaganda and displays of strength.

“There is ample recent evidence that the regime is feeling far from secure. Otherwise they would not be afraid to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to receive visitors, including Syed Hamid last month,” emphasized AIPMC member and Philippine legislator Congressman Mario Joyo Aguja.

“Now, more than ever, an ASEAN strategy of principled engagement backed by international pressure is needed. If ASEAN is indecisive, it will not only be Burma's people who suffer. Regional security will continue to be affected by a paranoid and unstable regime that is intent on flooding its neighbours with drugs and refugees,” he added.

If isolation of Burma is not the solution for democratic reform, surely meaningful reform cannot be initiated when the SPDC acts in remoteness. That is why ASEAN has to insist that the NLD, along with other pro-democracy parties that won the 1990 elections and ethnic nationality leaders be an integral part in the long-term solution for Burma .

On February 12, the NLD issued a bold, innovative proposal to the SPDC for a power-sharing transitional arrangement. This proposal has received the support of the leaders from many of Burma's ethnic groups as well as political parties and organizations seeking democratic reform in Burma, including the AIPMC.

The SPDC has so far not responded to this magnanimous offer to start the process of reforms that will also see the military playing a role in the future of Burma. In order to salvage the situation following Syed Hamid's fruitless visit to Rangoon, ASEAN will be wise to use any leverage available to prove that is has the political will to ensure that Burma's generals fulfil their promises for reforms. This should include the implementation of NLD's power-sharing proposal. It is the most credible and practical plan available.

AIPMC wishes to reiterate its strong support for the NLD proposal to create a transitional body to implement true democratic reform in Burma and a genuine program of national reconciliation.

AIPMC further urges ASEAN to push Burma's generals to consider NLD's proposal as part of the military government's efforts to create democratic reforms in the country. ASEAN must be more actively involved in Burma's political developments if it chooses to continue allowing a military dictatorship, which violently suppresses and isolates its own people, to remain a member of its organisation.

Ends.

Released on 13 April 2006, by the AIPMC Secretariat.
Media coordinator: Roshan Jason, AIPMC Executive Secretary. (+6012-3750974)