CALD Resolution No. 9 S. 2010

CALD Resolution No. 9 S. 2010

CALD resolution denouncing the military junta’s claim that the upcoming November 7, 2010 election in Burma will be free, fair, and inclusive; and demanding the military government to show serious efforts to make the transition to democratic civilian rule more inclusive and credible: first, by releasing all political prisoners; second, by amending the 2008 constitution and initiating a series of dialogue and consultations with stakeholders from all sectors of society; and third, by constituting an independent Election Commission that will provide for the conduct of an impartial, transparent, accountable, and fully democratic election;

Dismayed at the military junta’s blatant abuse of democratic processes to gain a semblance of legitimacy, with polls taking place amidst political repression and widespread violation of human rights, systematic manipulation of election laws and procedures, and patent disrespect of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;

Repulsed that 25 percent of the total seats in the parliament and state assemblies are reserved for the members of the military, as indicated in the Myanmar constitution approved during the widely criticized 2008 referendum;

Appalled that the members of the Election Commission were handpicked by the military regime;

Concerned that the military government has spurned offers of technical support from ASEAN countries and the United Nations, as well as foreign observers who seek to monitor the polls;

Supporting the report of Mr. Tomás Ojea Quintana, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, stating that the “freedoms of expression and assembly have been further restricted through the implementation of election laws, while party registration requirements and the high cost of registering candidates have hampered parties not backed by the Government,” and that “Myanmar’s process for its upcoming elections – the nation’s first in two decades – is deeply flawed;”

Convinced that the upcoming November 7 election is a “sham,” as described by the different members of the international community, and is not a democratic exercise of free choice, but a careful and state-driven manipulation to legitimize military rule in the guise of a formal democratic process;

Believing that Burma deserves an election that meets the highest international standards to forge genuine national reconciliation and a meaningful democratic transition;

Reiterating that Burma deserves nothing less than a free country and a functioning democracy;

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats hereby denounces the military junta’s claim that the upcoming November 7, 2010 election in Burma will be free, fair, and inclusive; and demands the military government to show serious efforts to make the transition to democratic civilian rule more inclusive and credible: first, by releasing all political prisoners; second, by amending the 2008 constitution and initiating a series of dialogue and consultations with stakeholders from all sectors of society; and third, by constituting an independent Election Commission that will provide for the conduct of an impartial, transparent, accountable, and fully democratic election;

For the Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats:

Hon. Rajiva Wijesinha, MP

Chair
Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

Colombo, Sri Lanka November 5, 2010

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