NLD has a policy (but it’s secret unless you ask for it)

By our correspondent in Yangon

As exclusively predicted by Burma Tha Din in November 2014, the National League for Democracy has a policy. The Myanmar Times has reported this week that the NLD has a secret economic policy, based on five pillars.

Believed to be the first policy the NLD has had since at least the mid 1990’s, the party has decided not to make it public. That is, unless someone finds out they have this policy, and asks for a copy, in which case, they can have a copy. So it is public. Except officially it isn’t. The reason for the ‘not public except it can be if you ask’ policy has not been explained.

It is not clear if there is a plan to let all 1,112 NLD MP candidates know that there is an economic policy, or whether they will all individually have to ask for a copy.

Most NLD members and activists approached by Burma Tha Din for comment about the policy were unaware of its existence. One candidate, speaking off the record because NLD candidates have to sign an agreement promising not to give their opinions to the media unless it is something Aung San Suu Kyi has already said publicly, questioned the timing of having a new policy; “Why is the HQ wasting time on policies, they should be focussing on winning the election instead.” Others expressed doubt that it really existed.

An NLD spokesperson denied rumours that it had been drafted with assistance from Angela Merkel, despite its apparent similarity to the economic austerity plan imposed on Greece.