The National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) invited (7) ethnic armed groups who signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) to a meeting to discuss amendments to the 2008 Constitution.
Only (5) groups, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Arakan Liberation Army (ALP), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), and the Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council, and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) attended the meeting, with very modest results.
“Regarding the issue of amending the 2008 Constitution, we have received the opinions of the 5 organizations who signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), but until there is a common agreement on how much they will amend the 2008 Constitution, it will be difficult to achieve peace. A common agreement is that all armed organizations and the State Administration Council (SAC) need to agree on how much to amend the 2008 Constitution. Only after that (first step) is agreed upon can there be any constitutional amendments proposed in the next election. Then there is the issue of getting support from the military,” said Dr. Aye Maung, Chair of the Arakan National Party
The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), did not attend. According to U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, it was not a surprise the RCSS and NMSP did not attend.
“There is no force. And when they are organizations that do not have much power to express their political position, they will attend. Organizations that have some power and hold some political opinions, such as the RCSS and the New Mon State Party, naturally do not participate. This is because the military council does not have the authority to reform the constitution this time. The 2008 Constitution also granted this authority, and in such a situation, the matter of amending the Constitution must be done outside the framework of the law and the Constitution. I see that it is natural that groups like RCSS and New Mon State Party do not want to participate.”
The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) announced that initial talks did take place between December 27-30, 2022 and 4 agreements were reached.
Amending the 2008 Constitution is fraught with challenges. The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) group of political parties requested the NSPNC amend more than 70 articles of the 2008 Constitution.
Further complicating matters, the Union Independent Representative Committee (CRPH), the National Unity Government (NUG) and the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), has previously announced that the 2008 Constitution had been abolished and that it was necessary to establish a federal democracy in the future.
Major-General Min Aung Hlaing, military coup leader, has also not recognized the constitution.
