A democratic federal union requires its three pillars of the legislative power the executive power and judicial power to have mutual respect and understanding. The Hluttaws or parliaments make laws that benefit the development of the nation, its people, and the economy. The Pyithu Hluttaw has completed its second year on the road to democratic transition. The following are excerpts from an interview with Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U T Khun Myat on the Hluttaw’s two-year journey.
Q: Could you tell us about the policies and objectives in place for the Pyithu Hluttaw?
A: The duty of the hluttaws is making laws that are in line with democratic values for the citizens, who are the original holders of power of the three branches of power. Our policy is to carry out our duties in accord with the constitution and be free of ethnic, racial, or ideological bias.
As for objectives, we are striving for national development, rule of law and internal peace, ethnic unity, freedom, equality and justice for all, increasing the capabilities of the Hluttaw representatives and the Hluttaw staff, and collaboration among state-level organizations.
Q: What laws were made in the two years of the Pyithu Hluttaw’s term?
A: Throughout the second Pyithu Hluttaw up till 30 March 2018, seven new laws were approved, ten existing laws were revoked and replaced, twenty-four laws were amended, nine laws were revoked, and eight laws pertaining to the national plan, budget and tax were approved, bringing the total to 58 laws thatwere discussed in the two years of the Pyithu Hluttaw. To give a general summary of the laws reviewed in the Hluttaw, we approved of laws for healthcare and security of senior citizens, and also laws to protect the privacy of citizens. I’d like to bring to attention to laws that will benefit and support the people, their businesses and the natural environment. The Hluttaw approved of The Petroleum and Petroleum Products Law which provides a better framework for digging for resources with minimal damage to the natural environment.
The other one is The Canal Law passed in November 2017 that will help the agricultural sector and for supplying water to regions with limited access to water. Then there’s the Myanmar Hluttaw Law for the various hluttaws to collaborate with each other and with international parliamentary Union and the ASEAN parliament.
Q: Can you tell us some of the things done for improving the capabilities of the MPs and Hluttaw staff?
A: When I was still the Deputy Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw, I also assumed the position of Chairman for the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in May 2016 and since then we have been working improving hluttaws in Myanmar.
There are thirteen organizations collaborating with the JCC and among them, five organizations have signed MoUs with us for parliamentary development programmes. The five organizations are the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD/HoC), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Foundation Hirondelle, and the Forum of Federation. We have conducted 62 workshops and 88 training sessions for the Hluttaw staff with them.
In detail, we’ve sent 83 hluttaw staff to trainings by the Union Civil Service Board, 41 staff to Myanmar-Singapore trainings in Yangon, 26 staff to trainings by the Union Auditor General’s Office, and 185 staff to interdepartmental trainings. We’ve sent a total of 37 Hluttaw staff on twenty expeditions to foreign countries, and 18 staff members were sent on 15 study abroad programs.
We’ve also sent committee chairmen, secretaries, committee members and 221 MPs on a total of 96 expeditions, discussion panels, conferences and workshops abroad.
Q: Can you tell us about the proposals submitted to the Pyithu Hluttaw and the onesthat were approved?
A: A total of 84 proposals were submitted and from among them, 33 proposals were approved, 46 proposals were put on record, 3 proposals were unapproved, one proposal was revoked, and one proposal was denied.
The approved proposals included those to reduce and abolish corruption, and to protect the livelihoods of farmers from natural disasters and pests. There was a proposal approved for allotting a set budget to schools for the physical wellbeing of the young people and this was done with cooperation from the Ministry of Health and Sports. The Ministry also helped with a proposal to draw a sports competition calendar from the primary schools up to colleges and universities with the aim of raising future athletes to represent Myanmar.
There was a proposal approved to broadcast a government education TV channel to support development in the education sector, a proposal for preserving natural water resources, and a proposal for establishing third parties in construction projects nationwide so they can review the projects and ensure the people’s budget is now wasted.
Q: Were there other significant processes?
A: I’d like to share some things Myanmar Hluttaws did in the ASEAN parliament and international parliament conferences. In the 38th GeneralAssembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly conference held in Manila, Philippines, there was a discussion under the title of the “Human Rights difficulties and violence against the Rohingya” to which a Hluttaw delegation objected based on the covenant of the AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly). Since the rules state that every decision should be made with consensus the discussion topic was repealed.
At the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia, eight countries from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a one-sided discussion on the situation in Rakhine State but our Hluttaw MPs managed to counter-argue the topic and effectively explained to all the IPU member countries on the Rakhine situation and humanitarian aid given there. They successfully repealed the decisions made by the IPU member countries which were not based on true facts.
Q: Is there anything else you want to tell the readers?
A: We will use all our experiences gathered during the two years to do an even better jobin the future. During the break until the next Hluttaw session, our MPs will be returning to their constituencies to relay the information from the meetings to the people and in turn they will ask and gather information on the people’s wants and needs to be discussed in the next Hluttaw session, such as confiscated lands and rural development.
In conclusion, I want to tell the people that the Hluttaw is doing what it can to strengthen the foundations of democracy in the country and we promise to accomplish the people’s hopes and develop their livelihoods.
Reference: GNLM
April 20, 2018