an article from O-way Journal 8/96(

[bakatha@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

HEADING: 
"The aggravating situation and forces of national solidfication"
	( Central Organizing Committee )
	All Burma Federation of Student Unions.
 

The following  stament was issued by the Central Organizing Committee
of ABSFU and was originally published in the "O-Way" Journal/August,1996
in Rangoon. 

	In order to create a nationally unified force/front, we, the ABSFU, has
	already made a proposal to all leading historical figures of
	the Burmese civil society both individually and as groups.
        They included lawyers and scholars in the legal field,
	other prominent academics and technocrats, those in the national
	literary and artistic circle, business persons from industry and
	commerce, retired high officials from Army and national police forces,
	workers, peasants and all student unions and even those who currently
	are government employees. 

	This great, nationally solidfied force, would not be another 
	greater political party. Nor could it be a platform for any future
	privileges to be enjoyed by a certain private individual or groups of
	individuals.Furthermore, it is not a platform made for those who want to play
	as master of the game to both sides of the barricade and claim
	the lion's share. And, at this greatly volatile moment, we do
	not interpret the act of sitting on the fence as impartiality. 
	
	( We need to ask ourselves) how serious is today's situation in
	Burma. What is the absolute necessity for the country today ? On one side
	of the national conflict is the SLORC military government. On the
	other side is the rest of the country;i.e. all prodemocracy forces
	suffering together with the ordinary people, the silenced, majority. In
	fact this is more than a conflict or a contradiction. It is an
	antagonism.
	
	Under this nationally intense situation, all politically sincere
	persons and parties must clearly and explicitly show where do
	they stand. ( Again,) We do not mean that all politically
	different parteis be merged into one conglomerate, a supra
	political organization. This kind of imperative could not be implemented.
	Nor should it be. According to pluralism for which we are 
	striving, the multiplicity of political prties should encouraged for all
	times. But what weare insisting is that at certain point of time and at
certain 
	turn of our history such as now, we have come to face a grave
	situation that definitely can be said that we all are bounded
	together by this and suffering together under this. That explains why we
	are calling for a nationally solidfied front/force, a bloc unified
	by a common issue, pulling together for a commom agenda of the time.

	The great issues our country is facing today are;
	* To materialize the result of the 1990 election.
	* To accomplish the two agendas of genuine national peace and
	  to truly end the long civil war.
	* To convene a democratically processed national convention and
	  thence to create a new Constitution acceptable to all components
	  of the Burma Union.
	* the issue of political prisoners.
	* the issues of freedoms of expression,assembly, press and religion 	    
	* the issues of general poverty of lower level public servants in
	  terms of health, education and social welfere.
	* the issues of foreign direct investment, monetary assistances
	  and their implications on the long term national interest etc.

The current situation in Bumra is a stalemate which is getting worse each
new day. Such a situation should not neglected as a simple conflict
between SLORC and the National League for Democracy, NLD; as a non
concern for other people and parties. Moreover, anybody playing any act of
fishing in the troubled water by providing self interest motivated
interventions are more despisable. 

To shoulder the burden of the common national task with the unfailing
patriotism, we call every patriotic person, every worker, peasant,
public servant, student, teacher, lawyer, medical doctor, academic,
technician, monk and other clergical persons of all religions,
business people and all those prominent national figures of modern
Burmese history to participate in this great, nationally solidfied
front/bloc and save the country from the ultimate ruin by fresh upheavels,
repressions,turmoils and anarchy.  

Burma today is at a dilemma. To evade the unfurthonably negative prospect
and the following inferno, we exhort all these people to exhort the ruling
militry government, SLORC, to open a dialouge (with the opposition Tr.).
In this respect, we oppopse all delibrate silence as undemocratic
manner. We also should oppose all purposeful neglects upon the " dialogue
through pressure" ( move initiated by the opposition side. Tr.)

To counter the possiblity of our country being dipped into a total
destruction resulted from an eventual general explosion, we resolutely 
call for the creation of such a nationally solodified front/bloc comprised
with all able citizens and organizations which will initiate the said
great movement of national characterisrtics and national dimensions.         


Central Organizing Committee
All Burma Federation of Student Unions
Rangoon (Burma)