The Parliament’s Lower House formed the “Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility” yesterday and appointed Aung San Suu Kyi as its chairperson after receiving approval from the country’s legislative representatives.

Nine of the 15 members belong to military-backed parties, while three National League for Democracy parliamentarians are in the group including the committee’s secretary Win Myint.

Suu Kyi’s appointment comes after the opposition leader toured Europe urging both politicians and businesses to exercise prudence in their engagements with Burma due to the absence of rule law in the country.

“It cannot be assumed and said that raising questions and submitting proposals and bills alone by Hluttaw representatives are dutiful,” said the Lower House’s deputy speaker Nanda Kyaw Swa.

“Only when Hluttaw [Parliamentary] Committee [sic] have more capability, will they be able to serve the interests of the State and people more, which is the duty of Hluttaw.”

According to the deputy speaker the committee will be responsible for monitoring and ensuring that parliamentary representatives, judicial bodies, civil servants and the media abide by the law.

The group is also responsible for monitoring “concerned organisations” that are potentially involved in circumstances that may damage the tranquility of the state.

Two of the committee’s members belong to ethnic minority parties, including the Shan Nationalities Development Party and the Rakine Nationalities Development Party.

However, it appears that some of the committee’s newly minted members were surprised to learn about their appointments.

“I only learned that I was on the committee when the house speaker read out the names of the committee members,” said Thein Nyunt, the New Democracy Party MP for Rangoon’s Thingangyun Township, reported The Irrawaddy.