Plainly fed up with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which was signed 6 months ago in Naypyitaw, as a “so called” by some media agencies and CSOs, a prominent leader of one of the 8 signatory ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) has come up with an explanation why using “Nationwide” in the NCA is justified.

“When they say it’s not ‘nationwide’ because it wasn’t signed by the majority of EAOs,” said Col Hkun Okker, Phrabwa Okker to his followers in the Pao National Liberation Organization (PNLO), “they are overlooking several salient facts.”

“It is true that only 8 out of 21 known EAOs had signed,” he continues. “But 3 of them (Arakan National Council, Wa National Organization and Lahu Democratic Front), having no fighting forces, were invited to participate in the Political Dialogue. Another, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), being also active on the other side of the border, couldn’t join. Out of the remaining 9, 3 of them (Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and Ta-ang National Liberation Army)are not yet recognized by the government.

“Summing up, 15 EAOs were invited, and 8 had come forward, which was more than half.”

Other reasons given by him are as follows:

• The name NCA was given by the government – EAO negotiations, which were participated by 17 EAOs
• All the international witnesses, some by signing and others by presence, were at the signing ceremony (on 15 October 2015) to lend the legitimacy to the NCA
• On 8 December, it was ratified in the parliament, thereby becoming a legal document with a legal name
• The word “nationwide” means “national level”. All the 15 EAOs invited had already signed “state level “and/or “union level”, otherwise bilateral agreements. What makes the NCA different from others is that it is multi-lateral
• No peace treaty in any country, according to my knowledge, has been signed by all stakeholders. Always some fail to do it. That doesn’t made these treaties “so called”
• Moreover, the new government has accepted the treaty, which makes it all the more problematic to keep on calling it “so called”

He drew attention to one “often conveniently ignored” point. “The six EAOs that did not sign the NCA did not feel it urgent enough to do so,” he said. “The reason is they have already signed bilateral agreements which allow them to be on continued speaking terms with the government. They are also free to visit government controlled territories when they want to.”

The six are: United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and New Mon State Party (NMSP).

However, he agrees that failure to sign the NCA has posed one big problem for the EAOs: lack of full participation in the Political Dialogue which has started since 12 January, when the Union Peace Conference#1 was held in Naypyitaw.

“We therefore hope we’ll be together again when the UPC#2 starts in the coming months,” he says.

The NLD so far has not spelled out the details of its peace plan although both President U Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had promised resumption of the peace process launched by the outgoing President Thein Sein in 2011.

According to sources, the State Counselor is to assume the leadership role for the new peace mission, amend the Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD), expand the composition of the Union Peace Conference (UPC) and deal with the non-signatory EAOs “that we deem appropriate in order to achieve a complete ceasefire.”