Internal peace and the emergence of a federal democratic union, which has not been achieved for more than 70 years, will depend on the junta, Nai Tala Nyi, a spokesman from the Mon Unity Party, told Mizzima.
He made the remark on the 75th Mon National Day on 16 February.
"Whether we speak about peace or a federal democracy, it depends a lot on the military council that governs the country and has gained power. The internal armed conflict has been going on for more than 70 years in our country, and it will continue until a political solution is found. So, to end it, it will be very important to have a federal democratic union. Today, the peace process is still a long way off. The peace process must involve all stakeholders. The main forces are important. Without the key and main forces, I think that peace in Myanmar is as far away as ever," he said.
The current Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) says that Myanmar lacks a formal government and parliament and thus making it very difficult for peace to be established in the country.
"The PPST is following the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) roadmap. However, due to the lack of a government and parliament, political dialogue has been sidelined. We have to think about how to solve it. I urge all stakeholders to work together to find a solution for the current political situation," he added.
There were only low-key celebrations for Mon National Day on 16 February this year because of the current political situation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PPST, which is made up of the 10 ethnic armed groups (EAOs) that have signed the NCA sent a message to the Mon National Day celebrations.
The 10 EAOs who have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) are the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council (KNLA-PC), the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA), the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU).
However, there have been ongoing clashes between the junta military troops and some NCA signatories.
