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The Burma Fund Capacity Building, Knowledge Sharing and Policy Development for Democratic Burma! |
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The NCGUB's Official Response to the Editorial of Irrawaddy, TIME FOR SOUL SEARCHING,Vol. 8, No. 8, August 2000 To the Editor, The
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma believes that a free
and independent press is crucial for maintaining a healthy democracy.
Although we have not yet achieved democracy in Burma, the NCGUB believes It is indeed time for the Burmese democracy movement to seriously assess both its successes and its failures. We need to do so not because we are facing a crisis of leadership and extreme frustration as intimated by the editorial. We need to do so because we need to freely debate on a wide range of issues including how after dismantling the military dictatorship, we will begin to rebuild a new Burma, which is democratic and respectful of the rights of all its citizens. In
this sense, the NCGUB regrets that the Irrawaddy did not use the opportunity
to open up a serious and informed debate. It merely reiterated unsubstantiated
allegations and misinformed rumors with undeclared source of From
the beginning, a difference of opinion has existed amongst Burmese exiles
regarding the NCGUB. Some objected because their advice against forming
a government was not heeded. Some were disappointed because they were
not included. Yet others were disappointed because the NCGUB could not
take care of the needs of all Burmese citizens in Burma and abroad. Second,
Dr Sein Win and his fellow parliamentarians were implementing a decision
taken by the majority of elected representatives. They had no choice but
to form a government. With the consent directly received from fellow members
of representatives, the parliamentarians felt they could not allow the
mandate to be weakened by including non-elected cabinet members. Third,
the NCGUB had no resources to look after itself, let alone the people Recognizing its limitation, the NCGUB focussed on its political mandate instead and tried to work within its understanding of the framework acceptable to the NLD. For example, it strengthened its alliance with the ethnic forces through the National Council of the Union of Burma, and formally adopted as its objective, the establishment of a democracy and a federal Union of Burma. Furthermore, in 1995, recognizing the need to be more inclusive, the NCGUB was reconstituted to include parliamentarians from the ethnic states. Internationally, the NCGUB concentrated on denying the military regime resources that sustain its rule and the legitimacy it needed to gain those resources. At the same time, the NCGUB worked to increase both the legitimacy of and resources for the democracy movement in order to bring about political change in Burma.The NCGUB is not the future government of Burma. When there is a transition to democracy in Burma and the NLD and other political parties are allowed to fulfil their mandates, the role of the NCGUB will end. That is perhaps one reason why the NCGUB has not actively sought support in Burma or abroad for itself. The NCGUB’s mistake was perhaps to assume that if it concentrated on achieving its objectives, the whole movement would benefit and appreciate its efforts. The
NCGUB has not, as claimed, received large amounts of funding from various
international agencies and western governments. The NCGUB first received
financial support from the Democratic Alliance of Burma. In 1991, a Canadian
institution provided funds to enable Burmese parliamentarians to receive
training in international diplomacy in the US and some non-government
organizations (NGO) assisted the NCGUB to make its first attempt at the
United Nations General Assembly in New York to inform governments about
the situation in Burma. It was successful in getting the UNGA to adopt
a consensus resolution on the human rights situation in Burma.To
date, the NCGUB has been able to get 9 consecutive consensus resolutions
on Burma at the UNGA and the UN Commission on Human Rights. Each subsequent
resolution was stronger in recognizing the results of the 1990 general
elections and eventually called on the Secretary-General to implement
the resolutions and assist in resolving the situation in Burma.After
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, Norway began
to fund the NCGUB but it was always conscious of the ethnic diversity
of Burma and as a matter of policy, has never assisted the NCGUB alone.
In fact, in 1992, at the initiative of the NCGUB, the Norwegian Burma
Council hosted the first Burma Donors Forum in order to ensure that agencies
funding Burma projects did not exclude funding to ethnic and smaller groups
without international access. A quick analysis will show that the ethnic
people or smaller groups have not been neglected as claimed by the editorial.
This information is available to the public from funding agencies.A
point on funding that also needs to be clarified is that most funds are
tied. In other words, funds for humanitarian aid, human rights, or other
activities like journalism cannot be used by the NCGUB for political purposes.
In the same way, funds for democratic development, etc, cannot be Most
funding agencies are very specific about what their funds can be used
for. Funding is not automatic and most projects including the NCGUB’s
are reviewed by funding agencies every year to ensure that funds are used
in the A
major problem the NCGUB has had to overcome was the initial reluctance
of agencies and governments to fund ethnic groups. This was because they
were seen as either being armed or involved in drug trafficking. Today,
it is Two
current major programs that specifically address the political needs of
the ethnic peoples are the European Office for the Development of Democracy
and the National Reconciliation Program. Although neither is managed by
the In
this respect, where possible or when asked, the NCGUB has always supported
the application for funding by any credible organization with a genuine
program. The NCGUB has never blocked funding for any organization The NCGUB, however, has no veto power over the funding decision of any of the agencies. The agencies make their own decisions according to their own criteria and mandate. In fact, many projects are funded without being referred to the NCGUB. In general, the NCGUB also does not get involved in funding decisions for humanitarian purposes on the borders of Burma. Aid for refugees, which amount to several million dollars a year are handled capably by professional agencies.If funds for the ethnic political struggle have been limited, it is because funding for political activities are limited. Funding for the NCGUB has also been limited. For the first 4 years, only Canada and Norway funded the NCGUB. In 1994, US-based institutions started funding the NCGUB for the movement’s delegations to the UN. Sweden assisted the NCGUB to reorganize in 1995 and Denmark started at the end of 1996. In the 10 years of its existence, the NCGUB has received only a fraction of international funds that have been channeled to the support of democratic cause in Burma. For example, the NCGUB has received no more than 5% of what the US Congress has earmarked for supporting democratic struggle in Burma since it started the funding. In addition, these funds are used not only to run NCGUB offices but to fund all its activities as well as consultations with its allies in the movement around the world. Comparatively, the total amount received by the NCGUB in 10 years is less than the annual Burma budget of one of the funding agencies. Information
about the NCGUB’s activities is available to those who are interested
– via the media in general, the Democratic Voice of Burma, the NCGUB’s
website (www.ncgub.net), and the NCGUB’s newsletter and news updates.
The NCGUB’s financial information is also available to those who
have a need to know. The Irrawaddy would have been given the information
if it had requested it. The information is not distributed to all because
of security considerations. Although the NCGUB is working to establish
a democracy, it must be remembered that the NCGUB is also engaged in a Finally,
the NCGUB should be judged on its political policies and its achievements
according to its own objectives and not according to unrealistic expectations.
The wide acceptance by the world community of the legitimate right of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD to govern Burma, the recognition that
the ethnic peoples of Burma have a role in determining the future of Burma,
the pariah status of the military regime, and the continued strong international
support for the whole democracy movement are the NCGUB’ s achievements.
By all means, let us debate and try to improve our
September 20, 2000 |
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