KNU: We Need to Build Foundation for Federal Democracy During Revolution
By Network Media Group
Thursday, August 25, 2023
The Karen National Union (KNU) emphasizes that in order to establish an authentic federal democratic union, the groundwork for a federal democracy must be laid during this transitional period. The existing security and administrative sectors should be replaced with a new security and administration system in accordance with the new federal constitution.
Padoh Saw Ta Doh Moo, KNU’s general secretary, stated, “Historically, successive rulers attempted to construct a nation using a top-down system. This approach has proven ineffective, as we have witnessed. We must adopt innovative thinking and move beyond it. With our collective experience, it is essential that we build a new nation with a fresh system. Laying a firm foundation for a federal democracy is crucial.”
He stressed the necessity of preparing a new security and administration system to replace the old one. “We must collaborate with all ethnic armed organisations and People’s Defence Forces to achieve security sector reform. We will then consolidate them under the new security system, aligned with the federal constitution. Our task is not only to remove military dictatorship; we also need to replace the old system with new administration, laws, a judiciary, and a security system based on federal democratic values. This is vital for our future nation.”
Brig-Gen Saw Tamala Thaw of KNU’s political wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, explained that numerous armed resistance groups emerged during the ‘Spring Revolution’. “We need to successfully complete the revolution and manage all the diverse armed groups during the post-revolution period. Preventing a recurrence of armed violence is paramount,” he said. To achieve this, “we must build a stable and developed nation, ideally reaching a common political agreement among all stakeholders”.
The KNU noted that until the Spring Revolution, previous rulers were unable to resolve the country’s political challenges. For the completion of this process, the Burma army must exit the political arena.
