Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi put forward an urgent proposal on Wednesday in Burma’s bicameral parliament urging government ministries to speed-up the issuance of bylaws and regulations necessary to implement laws enacted by parliament.
In her formal proposal, the leader of Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party told the Union Parliament: “The Hluttaw, as the country’s legislative estate, is primarily tasked with introducing laws that are in the interest of the people and the country. However, we can only declare that we have truly fulfilled the interests of the people when these laws have a real effect on their lives.
“[For example,] we adopted the law on Protecting Rights and Raising Interests of Farmers on 8 October 2013, but it still has not taken effect because the bylaws and regulations have yet to be issues. Therefore, to this day farmers are still forced to leave their homes, move elsewhere and face various difficulties due to heavy indebtedness and the lack of access to technology and resources need to compete in the market and deal with other challenges.
“If we cannot follow up with bylaws and regulations for laws that have been approved by parliament, then it will give people the impression that these laws are only superficial, and the public’s confidence might decline. This would damage the credibility of both the legislative and executive estates.”
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Suu Kyi’s proposal was supported by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) MP Thura Aung Ko and Deputy Attorney General Tun Tun Oo. Thereafter, the proposal was unanimously approved by the Union Parliament.
Burma’s parliament—now in its 10th session—has adopted over 120 pieces of legislation in total, but relevant government ministries have yet to introduce bylaws and regulations required to implement laws governing farmers and workers, who make up 85 percent of the country’s population.
