Tatmadaw has agreed to the amendment to the 2018 Constitution, and the constitutional amendment should be made in accordance with the procedures, Defence Services Personnel Representative of Lower House Parliament Brig-Gen Maung Maung told the media at the break-time session of Union Parliament on January 29.

The military chief officially promised to amend the charter. Defence Services Personnel Representatives are also thinking about a plan to amend some points in the constitution.  

In replying to the question of which points the Tatmadaw wants to amend in the constitution, Brig-Gen Maung Maung said the Tatmadaw was unable to separately reveal the fact that which priority sections of the constitution it will amend.

Brig-Gen Maung Maung made an objection to the proposal after Union Parliament Speaker T Khun Myat announced that Upper House MP Aung Kyi Nyunt from Magway Region Constituency-4 would submit an urgent proposal urging the Union Parliament to form a joint charter amendment committee with MPs in order to carry out the amendments to the 2008 Charter as quickly as possible.

“I don’t remonstrate against the charter amendment. The charter amendments can be made. There are procedures for the charter amendment. The term of parliaments has entered three years. Since after becoming a MP, he or she is assumed to have a thorough understanding of the constitution. According to the procedures, there are sections pertaining to the charter amendment. It needs to submit the charter amendment bill after twenty per cent of the MPs sign it. This bill shall be scrutinized after lower house and upper house form the committee. Now the formation of committee is not in accord with the procedures. I point out this point. Relevant committee shall scrutinize the sections. Now there is no any limitation. It will be very broad. To be clear, it will not work well,” he said.

When asked by the media about the Tatmadaw’s stance on the amendments to Sections 59 (f) and 436 of the Constitution, Brig-Gen Maung Maung gave no separate comment about it. Discussions would be made only when the sections in need of amendments are submitted to parliament.

With the regard to the question about Section 261 (b) of the Constitution, Brig-Gen Maung Maung replied that in fact, it is very simple. There were problems in Rakhine and Shan. The relevant parties secured landslide victories. There are problems between parliaments and chief ministers as the government directly appoints chief ministers. This section should be amended to solve this problem. But it should be done in accord with the procedures.

The Union Parliament approved the urgent proposal even though all Defence Services Personnel Representatives objected to the urgent proposal by standing up.