Myanmar’s election result must be honoured: Suu Kyi

YANGON: Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday marked the 13th anniversary of her party’s landslide 1990 election win, which was never recognised by the military government, calling the junta’s action an “insult”.

Aung San Suu Kyi called on the people of Myanmar to continue to strive for democracy in a message to activists holding a ceremony at the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) Yangon headquarters.

“The NLD must stand up firmly to achieve the result of the elections of 1990. To ignore the result of the 1990 elections is to have total disrespect for the people and is also an insult to the people,” the Nobel Peace Prize-winner, who is currently touring the north of the country, said in the message.

Her party won 392 of 485 contested seats in the elections, considered free and fair by the international community, but the result was never recognised by the ruling junta. Four seats were won by other pro-democracy parties.

“During my travels I have seen what the people have suffered because of the lack of democracy,” Aung San Suu Kyi said. “So the NLD must do its best to fulfil the aspirations of the people who have given them their full trust by voting for them. I would like for NLD members to work 100 percent for the benefit of the people.” In a separate anniversary statement, the NLD said the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) had broken promises by not convening parliament. “They have broken the legally binding promise undertaken by them. It is not for the NLD to be repeatedly asking for parliament to be convened,” the statement said.

“The political, economic and social problems facing the nation today can best be solved by convening and working through the People’s Parliament.”

The party also complained about the failure of UN-brokered national reconciliation talks between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi since October 2000 to progress beyond the confidence-building stage. “We are prepared to speedily set in motion a meaningful political dialogue,” the statement said.

It noted that 17 members of parliament-elect remained in jail. More than 200 democracy supporters, including NLD and other pro-democracy party members, and diplomats attended the ceremony, which included one minute’s silence for those who have died fighting for democracy. —AFP

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