Khitar Non – An approximate date of the upcoming Mon National Convention was decided during a recent three-day conference that ended this Monday.
During the Mon National Conference, which drew about 400 participants to the Mon state capital of Moulmein, influential Mon leaders, and others in attendance, set a flexible date for early January.
The convention, which was originally planned for late December, was extended until the next year because of time restrictions.
“We planned to hold Mon National Convention at the end of this year. But we do not have much time, so we have decided to hold it in early of 2014,” explained Dr. Min Kyi Win, who serves as a chairman for the organizing committee.
At the recent Mon National Conference a long list of topics on the table for discussion meant that not all the participants had the chance to talk about each item in great detail.
“Eight topics were submitted at the conference. And only about 10 participants got the chance to discuss each topics due to time limitation,” said Min Kyi Win.
One was to preserve and promote Mon literature and culture.
Min Ko Naing, a leading member of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, discussed the importance of remembering one’s own history in a speech.
“I, myself, am a Mon national. And, because Mon people have the chance to unearth their history for them, they will get to know about its value. Then I would like to encourage [anyone] to be able to write new, good history.”
Other topics on the agenda were developing investment strategies that will both improve and create educational opportunities. Another was to unify the two main Mon political parties.
Key points of agreement for the 2014 convention were also firmly established, including the decision to actually host the event.
The other four points were: to build unity amongst the Mon ethnicity; the implementation of lasting peace in the Union; for the government to declare a national ceasefire; to hold the conference in the spirit of the historic Panglong Conference; to lobby the government to scrap, or amend the 2008 Constitution for one that allows for federalist Union; and assist with development projects in Mon state.
Those in attendance included: Nai Htaw Mon; New Mon State Party [NMSP], Nai Ngwe Thein; All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP), and Nai Tin Aung; Mon Democracy Party (MDP). Additional participants also included: 88 Generation Students leaders, prominent Mon Buddhist monks, President Office Minister U Aung Min, Union Peace Working Committee (UPWC), Mon State Minister U Ohn Myint and various government staff, and civil society groups from both Mon state and overseas.
