Panel suggests change in Myanmar's constitution

Myanmar's parliamentary Committee for Implementation of 2008 Constitution Amendment has decided to propose amendment to Section 436 of the constitution, media reported Wednesday.

Section 436 prescribes that constitution amendment needs the approval of more than 75 percent or three-fourths of all members of parliament (MPs).

The committee proposes revising the percentage to two-thirds so as to enable the possibility of the amendment and it is up to parliament to make the approval, Xinhua reported.

For a long period, public opinion has called for amending the constitution, including many sections, to make way for the 2015 general elections in the country.

Myanmar's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), along with the 88-Generation Students Peace and Open Society, held a big rally in Yangon and Mandalay last weekend, calling on the public to back the efforts for amendment of the restrictive Section 436 of the 2008 Constitution ahead of the general elections in 2015.

Clarifying why the amendment of Section 436 was needed for further changes to the constitution, the NLD and the students group also called on the people to take part in an NLD-88 alliance's nationwide signature campaign May 27-July 19 to drum up public support for amending the section.

The signatures will be sent to the parliament and the UN, an NLD spokesman said.

In her call for constitutional reform, NLD chairperson and parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi called for amending the constitution through a way of strengthening national reconciliation and allowing mature and respected democratic practices.

She asserted in a speech that winning the public's hearts and mind is the one and only way to win elections.

She also reaffirmed her support for constitution amendment which was critical to building trust in the parliament within the framework of rule of law.

The country's parliament, on its part, has established a Committee to Implement Constitutional Amendment in February, tasking the committee to make an analysis of the sections of the constitution on whether to amend it or not.

Parliament Speaker U Shwe Mann called on the committee to finish the task in six months to hold the 2015 general elections in time.

Besides, changes to some provisions of the sections of the constitution need the prior support of over 75 percent of all the MPs and following the approval of the MPs, a national referendum is to be held, in which more than 50 percent of eligible voters have to support the move, according to the constitution.

Analysts pointed out that it would be hard to amend the constitution as military MPs now hold 25 percent of all the parliamentary seats.

The 194-page 15-chapter Republic of the Union of Myanmar Constitution 2008 was promulgated by the previous military government in May 2008.