A Commentary by Sai Wansai

The national peace negotiation process in Myanmar is currently facing stagnation. After a 14-month delay, a third “Union Peace Conference—21st Century Panglong” (UPC-21CP) took place in Nay Pyi Taw in mid-July this year in a bid to convey a positive momentum. But, even then, core issues like political dialogue, security reform, natural resource-sharing and the ethnic right of self-determination were not included. Meanwhile, conflict and loss of life are continuing in several ethnic nationality territories. In addition to displaced persons in the Kachin and Shan States, one of the major humanitarian emergencies in the modern-day world exists along the Rakhine State frontiers after over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled into Bangladesh last year.

Clearly, it is time for different peace approaches to be tried. The obstacles to achieving national peace and reform are many. But chief among them is the failure to achieve a political dialogue that is genuine, inclusive and nationwide during the bitter years of civil war since the country’s independence in 1948.

This commentary argues that four steps now need to be taken that could make a vital difference: first, closer scrutiny and understanding of why the peace process is failing; second, a complete halt to military operations; third, the initiation of whole-country participation and inclusion; and, fourth, the introduction of a “conditional clause” approach in “constitution-making”. In these troubled times, a glimmer of hope needs to be kept alive. If such new approaches are not tried, the historic failures and present obstacles in conflict resolution are only likely to continue.

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Full commentary in English