Our nation has made fundamental changes to the political and economic sectors. So, it’s very important for the emergence of an enduring State Constitution that is capable of controlling well the changed political and economic sectors.

That’s why the National Convention is going on based on the 104 basic rinciples already-laid down to adopt the necessary detailed basic principles

We’ve held discussions about several sectors regarding the adoption of the detailed basic principles for the sharing of legislative power.

The transport sector plays a major role in the drive for raising the economy for national development. And the building of roads and bridges and communication infrastructure is fundamental to the smooth transportation and communication. So, transport, communication and construction are stated together under a sector.

In the colonial days, the colonialists built roads and bridges just to make their administrative machinery and economy smooth. Along the Ayeyawady River that is more than one thousand miles long, they constructed only one bridge. That’s convincing evidence of their intention.

During the period of more than 40 years after the nation had regained independence, roads and bridges could not be built effectively due to the internal armed insurgency. To make matters worse, insurgents blasted existing transport facilities resorting to various ways. So, that culminated in the development gap between one region and another.

After 1988, the Tatmadaw Government has built bridges on self-reliant basis at the rate of a bridge a month, so 12 bridges a year. To achieve this target, the government has to make all-out efforts. The emergence of hundreds of roads, bridges and dams in over a decade has given a witness to the performance of the Tatmadaw Government. The number is greater than those constructed in the colonial period, the parliamentary democracy period, and the Socialist Programme period.

The points that are stipulated in the Union Legislative List regarding the transport, communication and construction sector are:

(1) Inland Water Transport

(2) Maintenance of waterways

(3) Water resources and river systems improvement

(4) Carriage by Sea

(5) Major Ports

(6) Lighthouse, lightship and other provisions for the safety of shipping

(7) Ship building, repair and maintenance

(8) Air transport

(9) Aviation, flight control and construction of airfields

(10) Road transport

(11) Railways

(12) Highways and bridges under the management of the Union

(13) Posts, telecommunications, telephones, fax, e-mail, Internet, Intranet and similar communication services

(14) TV, satellite communication, transmission and reception and similar communication services, and

(15) Housing and buildings.

The points included in the Region or State Legislative List are:

(1) Ports, jetties and pontoons under the management of the Region or State

(2) Roads and bridges under the management of the Region or State, and

(3) Systematic movement of the private-owned vehicles within a Region or State.

According to the two legislative lists, the Union will have to enact laws regarding the tasks for the development of the entire nation, and the Regions or States concerned will have to implement such tasks. The two legislative lists also comprise the power vested in the Region or State to enact laws and to carry out procedures region-wise or state-wise.

In this regard, the government will have to put into motion major projects that call for huge investments and advanced technology. So, there will be Union highway projects and Pyidaungsu bridges that are to be implemented under the management of the Union, and roads and bridges projects to be implemented under the supervision of the Region or State concerned.

With regard to the management sector, the National Convention has adopted a detailed basic principle that comprises:

(1) general administration

(2) village land and town land administration

(3) tenant

(4) narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances

(5) matters on keeping State’s secrets

(6) associations

(7) prison

(8) border areas development

(9) census

(10) citizenship, naturalization, and revocation of citizenship, citizenship identification, and national registration

(11) titles.

In the Region or State Legislative List, a detailed basic principle states:

(1) development affairs

(2) human settlement and housing development

(3) honorary certificates and prizes.

Matters on the administration are various such as civil administration, village administration, forestry administration, land administration, agricultural administration, mining administration, and naval and air transport administration.

In the exercise of matters on administration by respective authorities, administrative matters are to be practised only within the frame of the provisions prescribed by respective legislative bodies.

To ensure systematic and continuous operation of the administrative machinery, personnel responsible to operate the administrative machinery must be the ones who are qualified with good moral conduct. Implementation of administrative matters should thoroughly cover the whole nation to ensure smooth and systematic operation of the administrative machinery of a modern and developed nation aspired by the people. Therefore, such matters are embodied in Union Legislative List.

The legislative power regarding the village land administration and town land administration is prescribed in the Union Legislative List

The aim is to enact law that is in force across the Union. After such a law is enacted, the administrative power to handle matters on the village and town land administration will be vested in the Region or State concerned in line with the laws enacted by the Pyidaungsu.

The matters on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were included in the Union Legislative List.

Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are posing grave dangers to the entire national people, so the government has been making unremitting endeavours to eradicate them as the national duty. It’s wise that matters on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are enumerated in the Union Legislative List for wiping out the dangers of narcotic drugs in the nation.