More problems if Myanmar constitution not changed by 2015: Suu Kyi

Myanmar will face more problems if the constitution is not changed by the next election in 2015, the country's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said at a news conference on Tuesday as she wrapped her visit to Singapore.

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Aung San Suu Kyi at a news conference at Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. (Photo: Siti Nur Mas Lina, channelnewsasia.com)

SINGAPORE: Myanmar will face more problems if the constitution is not changed by the next election in 2015, the country's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said at a news conference on Tuesday as she wrapped her visit to Singapore.

However, she did not elaborate on what these problems are.

Ms Suu Kyi said she will continue to push hard for the constitution to be changed as it would enable her to be eligible for presidency.

She added that it will be good if the constitution is changed sooner rather than later and she is not letting up on this fight for change.

Ms Suu Kyi said: "Constitutional amendment is not the only change that is necessary in our country. So I think it would be a bit premature for me to say now if the constitution is not changed until 2015, this will happen or that will happen. But I can say with great confidence that if the constitution is not changed before 2015, there will be more problems that we would have, if it were to be changed in time."

Given the fact that this is Ms Suu Kyi's first visit to Singapore, she said Myanmar people have told her about the successes of Singapore in areas such as finance and education.

She said that Singapore and Myanmar share many similarities but there is a key difference and that is Singapore is a city-state, while Myanmar is a largely agriculture-driven country.

In fact, she said that Singapore might just be able to learn a thing or two from Myanmar.

Ms Suu Kyi explained: "We want our country to be different and we want this difference to add to the diversity of the world. So I think perhaps Singapore could learn from us, a more relaxed way of life, perhaps warmer and closer relationships. I want to learn a lot from the standards that Singapore has been able to achieve but I wonder whether we want something more for our country."

And wanting more for Myanmar is exactly what Ms Suu Kyi believes her party, the National League for Democracy, can offer.

Responding to criticisms that her party may not have enough capable members, she countered saying that her party is in fact the most effective political party in Myanmar founded on democracy. 

- CNA/gn

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/more-problems-if-myanmar-constitution-not-changed-by-2015-suu-kyi/