13 cease-fire ethnic groups have submitted proposals demanding self-determination for their own territories but military authorities of Burma have rejected almost all of them.

 It has been accepted that the State Assembly will select the State Chief Minister with a majority vote and only then the Union President will endorse the appointment. Under the original 104 principles, the Union President will select and appoint a member of State Assembly as the State Chief Minister.

Dr Tu Ja, Vice-chairman of KIO

KIO confirms that 13 ceasefire groups have submitted proposals at the Convention which has been in recess since 9 July

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The last session of the National Convention was held to discuss principles for the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary to be based in drafting the State Constitution and cease-fire ethnic groups would like to have effective legislative powers for individual states.

Proposals for individual state constitutions, bill of rights for ethnic nationalities and formation of ethnic security forces have been quickly rejected by the National Convention Convening authorities, Dr Tu Ja of Kachin Independence Organisation tells the BBC Burmese Service.

Ethnic groups are also keen to have concurrent law making powers on some issues for individual states but this is not going to happen.

'Without concurrent legislative system, it is like an autonomous state rather than a state with self-determination', says Dr Tu Ja of KIO.

Ethnic groups' attempts to maintain residual powers at State level have failed, too.

Residual powers cover issues that are left un-enumerated in the Constitution and legal experts say residual powers lie at State level in a decentralised federal system whereas in a centralised federal system those powers are retained at the federal level.

However, Dr Tu Ja says there is a compromise on the selection of a State Chief Minister.

'It has been accepted that the State assembly will select the State Chief Minister with a majority vote and only then the Union President will appoint the candidate whereas in the original 104 principles, the Union President will select and appoint a member of State Assembly as the State Chief Minister', Dr Tu Ja says on the BBC Burmese Service radio.

Moreover, State assemblies will have powers to pass laws relating to State economy such as taxation, transportation, lottery, and energy and electrical powers up to a certain level, Dr Tu Ja says.

In future, citizens and businesses may have to pay taxes to both State and the Union depending on where they are, Dr Tu Ja admits but he says substantial amounts of revenues would be required by State governments in order to carry out development projects.

National Convention Convening Work Committee Chairman Chief Justice U Aung Toe has replied in writing of their decisions citing which of the proposals are accepted or rejected, Dr Tu Ja says.

He says 'It is not up to what we would have wanted but we have to take what's on offer and then try step by step'.

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