Roundup: Myanmar moving on right track despite challenges on anniversary of landmark election

Myanmar is moving on a right track while still facing many challenges one year after the landmark general election in 2015.

The new civilian government, led by winning opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD), has initially achieved political transition in over seven months after it assumed office in April.

The new government has abolished some undemocratic provisions of laws concerning basic human rights, but there remain challenges in terms of incomplete transition economically, Ko Myat Thu, chairman of Yangon Political Science Institute, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

With regard to the national peace process, it is too early to conclude since it was rooted for many years, while in the economic sphere, it also needs to take some two years to observe the economic situation, he said.

The parliament amended or removed some laws deemed as not in the interests of the country and the people and enacted new laws and a new state budget.

State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi is seen to be preparing for a step forward in her efforts to amend the constitution and bring the Home Ministry and the General Administration Department under the elected government in the next five years. If not, the transition can not be said to have achieved its goals as desired, according to Ko Myat Thu.

Since the first session in February, the House of Representatives (Lower House) has sponsored a number of workshops and seminars at home and abroad, with meetings with hundreds of local and foreign guests. The House has approved 10 bills during the sessions that began in July, according to speaker of the House U Win Myint.

The Union Parliament adopted and promulgated six laws and two by-laws at the end of the second session in October, such as the 2016 State Budget Amendment Law, Anti-Corruption Amendment Law, Laws Revoking the Yangon Municipal Law, Mandalay Municipal Law and Emergency Acts, Peaceful Demonstration Law and Myanmar Investment Law, as well as rules and regulations concerning electricity,

The parliament also issued a declaration welcoming and supporting the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference, and hosted the 37th General Assembly of the ASEAN Parliaments.

Meanwhile, the Union Election Commission set April 1, 2017 to hold the by-election to fill some 19 parliamentary seats left vacant by those who have become government cabinet members.

Regarding the peace process, the Myanmar government is making efforts to pave way for non-signatory armed groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) to join and complete the signing before a national political dialogue starts later this month as agreed at the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in August-September.

The national political dialogue will begin in some regions and states which are ready to host them in accordance with the structure and guidelines laid down by the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) led by State Counselor Suu Kyi.

The dialogues are expected to represent opinions and voices of the Myanmar people, including the ethnic groups, in a bid to create a union based on democracy and federal system as envisioned in the NCA for peace building. Endit