Burma's military approval convention - NOT national convention

After 12 years, Burma's so-called National Convention finally seems to be
drawing to an end. The military junta has indicated it will wrap up the
session with a draft of a new constitution followed by a referendum and
national elections. Analysts say the military is expected to demand a
guaranteed number of seats - say, 25 percent - in future parliamentary
elections, as well as guaranteed positions in government ministries.
According to Larry Jagan, a former BBC correspondent and Burma affairs
expert, the military junta has been trying to draft a constitution that will
give legitimacy to its political role. But, he said, "Unless the opposition,
especially the NLD, is allowed to participate in drafting the constitution,
it will not be seen as legitimate." A top Western diplomat assigned to
Burma, at an exclusive interviewed with Burmese reporters in Chiang Mai,
dismissed the ongoing process as a sham and "nonsense." "How can it be
possible to have a constitution that excludes the majority of the
population?" said the diplomat. Critics, however, note that the leaders of
major political parties - the NLD and Shan Nationalities League for
Democracy - remain under arrest.


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