The Mon National Party (MNP) and the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMDP) have agreed to merge during the meeting held at the AMDP office in Mawlamyine on July 21 and elected Nai Tin Aung as the chair of the new party.
“The merger of the two parties has been finalized. The main agreement was to distribute the duties within the party, establish a 100-member central committee with 50 people from each party, and elect a 44-member central executive [committee] with 22 people from each party. We will approve the party’s name within this month. Afterwards, we will hold a ceremony to mark the merger of the two parties and hold a central committee meeting,” said Nai Layih Tamarh, joint secretary (1) of the new party.
He continued that 10 out of 49 proposed names have been selected for consideration and they will hold briefings with party members from the lower level and approve the new name for the party in accordance with general consent.
“We will explain our agreements to the lower-level party members. Constitution of the new party will be drafted. We decided to complete it within two months. Another thing is that we have discussed about including other forces that are scattered outside and individuals or groups that are interested in politics,” said Nai Kyan Yit, member of the central executive committee.
A five-member delegation led by Nai Kyan Yit has been assigned to hold official meetings with political forces and respective persons to include the scattered forces in the new party.
Dr Aung Naing Oo, spokesperson of the 21-member Mon National Representative Party Organizing Committee, said a five-member delegation from the organizing committee met with five delegates from the two parties on July 6 and proposed to merge with the two parties and select a new name for the political party after getting consent from all three sides.
“We told them to do the merger of the three groups within a month. They said they will respond to us. I believe the response should be given immediately,” he said.
However, Nai Kyan Yit told the Mon News Agency that the central executive committee of the new party will decide on the issue of including not only the 21-member Mon National Representative Party Organizing Committee but also other scattered forces only after the merger of the two parties has been completed.
According to the agreement, the two parties have elected Nai Tin Aung as chair, Nai Hla Aung as vice-chair (1), Nai Ngwe Thein as vice-chair (2), Nai Chan Toi as vice-chair (3), Dr Min Nwe Soe as general secretary, Nai Layih Tamarh as joint secretary (1), Nai San Tin as joint secretary (2), Nai Soe Myint as joint secretary (3), Nai Than Shwe as joint secretary (4), and Dr Min Kyi Win as joint secretary (5) for the new party.
Nai Tin Aung is the son of the Mon People’s Front (MPF) chair Nai Aung Tun. He is a former MPF member, former political prisoner, and former member of the MNP central executive committee and served as vice-chair of the MNP.
