Breaking election campaign promises won’t be forgiven.

The NLD came to power because it made a pledge to amend or even rewrite the constitution.

But how on earth could the NLD undertake “restoration of internal peace”, without equitable power and resources sharing, which should be embedded in a constitution that should cater to a genuine “Federal Union”.

The ethnic armies are not about to lay down their arms, depending on only verbal promises, as they have learned the hard way, since Panglong Agreement.

In order to restore internal peace, a uniformed acceptance of government imposed laws is needed, which the ethnic armies are not ready to follow, as the sharing of sovereignty still has to be worked out first through political settlement.

For example, take the word “Set Chay” the Tatmadaw term for protection money, which is criminal from the government point of view, is being taken as “revolutionary tax” from the part of the ethnic resistance armies, to defend their turf and people.

The same goes for the extraction of natural resources, which the Tatmadaw insists is criminal and illegal, while the ethnic armies think, it is their rights for the resources belong to them. The point is political settlement and a comprehensive agreement could only be reached through amendment, or better, through rewriting the constitution.

Thus, U Win Myint will only be indulging in day-dreaming, if he believes that one of these days, the Tatmadaw will become enlightened and cast their votes for the constitutional amendment, leading to equal power-sharing and giving up its political edge for good.
(Source: Constitutional change must wait, Pyithu speaker says – Frontier Myanmar – 13 June 2016)