MPs back proposal to engage Myanmar's ousted unity government

Several opposition MPs have expressed their support for Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah’s proposal for Asean to establish an informal engagement with the National Unity Government (NUG) elected by the people of Myanmar before the military coup.

PKR’s Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said Saifuddin’s suggestion is an attempt to break the impasse, as there has been no progress for the past year on the implementation of the Asean Five-Point Consensus (5PC).

“They (Myanmar) have been stonewalling and there is no progress. That is why I think the foreign minister is trying to find a new solution to the impasse, to break through so that there is progress.

“This is because as Asean, we need to be respected in the world for our rule of law, democratic institutions and also human rights. Only then will foreign investors have confidence in Asean as a whole, so we should uphold certain values.

“I think the Malaysian government’s position is right. In terms of the foreign minister’s statement, we should support Malaysia’s position against Myanmar,” Sim said to Malaysiakini when contacted today.

Informal engagement

On May 1, Saifuddin said Malaysia would propose to Asean to establish an informal engagement with the NUG, as no progress has been made in the past year on the implementation of the 5PC to find a solution to the political stalemate in the country.

“We are not proposing for Asean to recognise other governments, but such informal engagement may be conceivable, especially on how humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar who are still in their country can be delivered,” Saifuddin had elaborated.

Myanmar’s military junta has since condemned Malaysia over this suggestion, describing Saifuddin’s remark as “irresponsible and reckless”.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Twitter today, DAP’s Klang MP Charles Santiago said the proposal to engage the NUG is “more than welcome” as it is the democratically elected government of Myanmar and receives support from the majority of the country’s citizenry.

“We can only hope that other Asean countries follow Malaysia’s lead, and ignore what an illegitimate military junta which is not only irresponsible and reckless but also criminal, has to say about the matter.

“A junta that has staged a coup against a democratically elected government has thrown Myanmar into chaos and is committing all kinds of atrocities against the population of the country to consolidate its power and utterly lacks any moral authority to make such kinds of accusations,” he said.

Charles, who is also the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) chairperson, described the junta’s response as “particularly outrageous” and “especially galling”.

Such a response only shows that they are nervous about the increasing international isolation, he said.

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