Constitution amendment proposals to be submitted before 2015 election in Myanmar

The Committee for Implementation of 2008 Constitution Amendment will submit amendment proposals for the 2008 constitution to the Parliament six month ahead of the 2015 general election, Myanma Freedom Daily said Wednesday, citing House of Representative Speaker U Thura Shwe Mann. Speaking at the Union Parliament session in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday, U Shwe Mann said that the implementation committee had agreed to analyze matters including elevating the role of Union Parliament (two houses of parliament), regularizing the role of Myanmar army to a democratic role, working towards a decentralized system of governance and the prospect of self-determination in order to progress the nationwide peace process. The Union Parliament has sent the basic principles for amending the constitution to the committee which will carry out the work. The 31-member implementation committee formed on Feb. 3 for amending the constitution was tasked to review a report compiled and submitted by the Parliament's Joint Committee for Review of 2008 Constitution at the end of January. The earlier Joint Committee for Review of 2008 Constitution said it received over 28,247 letters of suggestions from over 20 political parties, legal experts, government departments including the military and civil societies. The call for amendment includes an article 59-f in the constitution that was said to have been intentionally drawn by the previous military government to block Aung San Suu Kyi from being eligible to run for presidential election. The 194-page 15-chapter Republic of the Union of Myanmar Constitution 2008 was promulgated by the previous military government in May 2008