Detained National League for Democracy (NLD) icon Aung San Suu Kyi said that the act of forming a new party by some of the NLD leaders is incompatible with the democratic process, according to her lawyer, Nyan Win, after meeting her on Friday.
Speaking with The Irrawaddy after his meeting, Nyan Win said, “The NLD's decision [not to register for the election] was agreed by all members, but there are still some who have taken matters into their own hands—something that is not compatible with the democratic process, according to Suu Kyi.”
Some leading members of NLD, who disagreed with the party's decision to boycott this year's general election, have founded a new political party, named the National Democratic Force (NDF),which will contest the polls.
Dr. Than Nyein, a former political prisoner and a member of the NLD, who is expected to lead the new party, said the NDF will be registered at the Election Commission sometime in the middle of this month, and will be headed by several members of the NLD.
Dr. Win Naing, Thein Nyunt, Sein Hla Oo and several others will join the new party, he said. Another prominent NLD leader, Khin Maung Swe, will serve as an adviser.
In 1990, when the NLD was divided on whether to contest the election, Suu Kyi's decision to participate broke the gridlock and resulted in the NLD gaining an unexpected landslide victory. However, the junta never acknowledged the results.
According to Nyan Win, Suu Kyi also said that many agreements regarding the election had been made with US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Monday at a government guesthouse in Rangoon, but declined to give details.
The NLD automatically ceased to exist at midnight on May 6—the deadline for all existing political parties in Burma to register under the junta's election law. In March, the party decided against registering under what it called “unjust and unfair” election laws.
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