2024 in Review – Politics Dominated by State Strengthening and Unity Building
Politically, the year began with efforts to show unity among revolutionary forces, but these remained at a standstill, and 2024 ended with stronger efforts to strengthen state-based building.
The Common Position
On January 31, 2024, the CNF, KNPP, KNU and NUG issued the Common Position of Groups Jointly Fighting to End Military Dictatorship and Build a Federal Democratic Union. The statement's vision was "to build a federal democratic union made up of states with democracy, national equality and full rights of self-determination, which protects and promotes the identities of the diverse peoples living in the union", and its objectives, positions and processes included drafting a federal democratic constitution acceptable to all stakeholders, building a federal democratic union, and freely forming federal unit governments.
The People's Assembly
The second People's Assembly was held over five days from April 4 to 9, and was reported to have been attended by 204 assembly representatives, 104 specially invited guests and 128 observers. It discussed, decided on and adopted resolutions on local administration and the rule of law, the terrorist military's illegitimate People's Military Service Law, and the abolition of the Myanmar Citizenship Law (1982). It also reaffirmed that the People's Assembly will be held once every six months, and announced that 21 proposals and recommendations from the assembly were recorded.
The CRPH and NUG did not attend the assembly's final day, and tense exchanges among NUCC council members at a press conference held on April 11 after the assembly drew public criticism.
October 2024 was when the third People's Assembly should have been held under the decision to hold it every six months, but it could not be held.
The Bottom-Up Federal Approach
The KNPP said that at the in-person meeting of the KNU, KNPP, CNF and NUG held from August 26 to 28, it was agreed to take a bottom-up federalism approach and to divide and exercise powers between NUG ministries and the administrative and judicial bodies within the states/federal units.[1]
Then, on September 19, 2024, the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC), the Pa-O National Federal Council (PNFC), the New Mon State Party (Anti-Dictatorship) (NMSP-AD), the Mon State Federal Council (MSFC), the Ta'ang Political Consultative Committee (TPCC) and the Women's League of Burma (WLB) jointly issued a "Position Statement on Building a Future Federal Democratic Union".[2]
On November 5, 2024, the National Unity Government (NUG), the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the Chin National Front (CNF) held a joint press conference, at which the KNPP presented the basic concepts of bottom-up federalism.
The KNU also said that the country is being rebuilt through a bottom-up federalism approach that supports local self-governance and builds the union from the grassroots level up. The CNF said that the Chinland Constitution, drafted by the Chin people themselves as the political essence of building a federal democratic union made up of states with democracy, national equality and full self-determination, was drafted and adopted in 2023, and added that it is working to draft a constitution free of the military's involvement in politics in order to build federal democracy.
At the press conference, the NUG did not make any significant statements of position on bottom-up federalism.
References:
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEGrcC8aUhI
[2] https://westernnewsmm.com/news/politic/4051/
Photo by Hlaing Kyaw Phyoe on Unsplash
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