Voices on Junta's Announcement: " General Elections in 2010"

"In light of this announcement, the Secretary General renews his call to the Myanmar authorities to make the constitution-making process inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to ensure that any draft constitution is broadly representative of the views of all the people of Myanmar," the statement added.

Ban said he believed that "it is now all the more important for the Myanmar leadership to engage without delay in a substantive and time-bound dialogue with (opposition leader) Aung San Suu Kyi and other relevant parties to the national reconciliation process."
UN chief Ban Ki-moon

"I was surprised that they announced an election date without knowing the referendum results"
Nyan Win
Opposition spokesman

The regime itself did not honor " the result of 1990 election", who would consider the outcome of comming general elections in 2010 would be honored ?
Myat Soe
Justice for Human Rights in Burma

It as "public relations spin" and "nothing to do with democracy."
The Burma Campaign UK

"Just get on whatever horse you can catch. Then try to find better ones gradually,....."
A retired professor

``I am not interested in their referendum because the results are known already,''
48-year old noodle salad seller Mar Mar Aye

"The most important is all major parties should be allowed to run in it."
Roadside food vendor Aung Min, 28

"It's just like finding somewhere to live for the homeless. Of course it isn't the house of our choice, but it will give us some protection,"

"We can expect at least a coalition government. That's far better than now,"

"If they boycott the election, we will have to wait another three or four decades in deadlock,"
A retired government officer

The move by Burmese military government to set a timeframe for a referendum on a new constitution and elections as a "positive" one.
Singapore's Foreign Ministry

"Burmese political leaders had not been consulted, and called for a genuine process of reconciliation. "

We called for the release of Suu Kyi and other detained political leaders to ensure a "genuine and inclusive process of national reconciliation."
Britain's Foreign Office

Malaysia hopes Myanmar's decision to hold elections in 2010 will be realised as planned and all parties will participate according to democratic practice.

The practice of democracy was not limited to only one model approach for it to benefit the people. "The most important in democracy is service to the people and not causing trouble,"
Malaysia Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar

“We want political reforms and the process of reconciliation to start immediately and it has to be inclusive.As far as possible, important political prisoners should be released.”
India: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee

"China may have put pressure on them to announce something acceptable. They may have used the Olympic Games as a bargaining chip,"
A Yangon-based Asian diplomat

We're frankly very skeptical. We're not persuaded that this [Burma junta's election plan] is anything more than a cynical sham.
Stephen Smith, Australian Foreign Minister

Please send your comments: