Collaborating With Armed Ethnics, Myanmar Parliament Representatives Will Announce Provisional Cabinet Today

Demonstration against Myanmar military coup. (Wikimedia Commons/သူ ထွန်း)

JAKARTA - The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH), a body formed by elected lawmakers from Myanmar's ousted civilian government, will announce the lineup of new members to the interim cabinet on Friday, April 16.

The committee consists mostly of lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) who were elected in the 2020 general elections but were unable to take their seats because of the February 1 coup.

The interim cabinet, which was formed with the approval of the ethnic armed organization (EAO) and will include ethnic ministers, fits the political roadmap outlined in the Federal Democracy Charter, said the CRPH member, who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity.

The Federal Democracy Charter was issued by CRPH on March 31, coinciding with the abolition of the 2008 Constitution drafted by the Myanmar military.

The two-part charter lays out plans for a provisional national unity government. Its duties include weakening the regime's governing mechanisms, supporting the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), and making arrangements for national defense.

According to the political roadmap outlined in the first section of the charter, the legislative and judiciary bodies will be formed following the formation of the national unity government. The charter also includes plans to establish a national convention for drafting a new constitution, which will be approved only after a national referendum is held.

The charter states that the national unity government will rule under a parliamentary system and will include a prime minister, president, state adviser, and two vice presidents.

The Chancellor of Yangon Medical University and orthopedic surgeon Zaw Wai Soe is expected to become prime minister. Currently, he holds three ministerial positions, named minister of labor, immigration, and population; Minister of Education; as well as the minister of health and sports.

He was one of the first prominent figures to refuse to serve under the coup regime and join the CDM, which aimed to overthrow the regime of military commander Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

According to sources close to CRPH, members of the interim cabinet will also include members of the NLD's central executive Aung Kyi Nyunt and Naw Hla Hla Soe, the ethnic Karen affairs minister elected for the Yangon region.

None of the individuals identified as cabinet ministers could be reached for comment at the time of reporting.

The interim cabinet was formed after a series of meetings. between current CRPH members and leaders of several EAOs and ethnic political parties, held after the NLD government officially ended on March 31.

CRPH spokesman Yee Mon, also known as Maung Tin Thit, said last March 30, members of the interim cabinet had to serve under unusual circumstances, because of the post-coup situation in the country.

"As everyone knows, this cabinet will be a government formed under a state of war, anti-dictatorship war, and I can say it will emerge as a revolutionary government," he told Myanmar Now, Friday 16 April.

Meanwhile, the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), made up of 10 EAOs who have signed the National Armistice Agreement, released a statement on April 4 saying it welcomed the declaration of the Federal Democracy Charter.

The PPST suspended all political dialogue with the military on February 20 in response to Myanmar's military coup on February 1, 2021.

Under the charter, there are also plans to set up a National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), to coordinate cooperation among federal democratic powers. The NUCC will include representatives of CRPH, political parties, EAO, civil society groups, and CDM groups.

Min Ko Naing, a prominent leader of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, is expected to become chairman of the NUCC, according to sources close to CRPH. However, this information cannot be verified.

The 20-page Federal Democratic Charter is based on an interim constitution drawn up between 1990 and 2008 by members of the NLD parliament elected in 1990, and ethnic armed forces in border areas. However, this is the first time it has been revealed to the public.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in that one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.