YANGON - MYANMAR'S pro-democracy group on Friday criticised a new law that allows Myanmar's military chief access to a special fund without any oversight from parliament.
The fund - created at the same time as the new budget of which almost one-fourth was allocated to the military - can be used by the commander in chief to pay for expenses related to national defense and security. He needs only the president's approval to do so, according to a statement from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.
Myanmar President-elect Thein Sein is a former general who served as the outgoing ruling junta's prime minister. He now heads the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, which won a huge majority in last November's election that much of the international community dismissed as rigged in favor of the junta. A mandatory allocation of one-quarter of the seats in parliament to military appointees assures that the ruling generals remain in charge.
The Special Funds law allows the money to be used 'to safeguard national sovereignty and protect disintegration of the union' and says the military commander 'shall not be subject to questioning, explanation or auditing by any individual or organisation' regarding its use.
So-called secret funds are used in several countries to conceal details of sensitive military and intelligence activities. However, they can also serve as slush funds, leading to corruption because users are not held accountable for them.
'Since the law allows the commander in chief to use the funds without having the need to answer to anyone or any organisation, the law is not in line with norms of the law,' said the NLD statement. -- AP
0 Comments:
Post a Comment