An opinion poll conducted by the exiled Shan State Constitution Drafting Commission (SSCDC) in March and April say an overwhelming 86% of Shans are in favor of their state joining a “truly federal union.”

Below is an article published by the Shan Herald Agency for News:

616 people from all the three parts of Shan State had responded to the SSCDC’s questionnaire, out of which 530 had opted for a federal union. 48 (7.8%) were against it and 38 (6.2%) were undecided.

The survey was conducted in order to ascertain the public view over the constitutional guidelines laid down by the Second Shan State Constitutional Conference held on the Thai-Burma border on 9-11 November 2007.

The guidelines are:

• A federal structure for Shan State (65.9% in favor)
• A democratic decentralized administrative system (86.9% in favor)
• Sovereign power derives from the people of Shan State (68.2% in favor)
• To be a member state of a genuine federal union with other states (86% in favor)
• To guarantee equality among Shan State’s ethnic nationalities (80% in favor)
• To guarantee ethnic minority rights (93.3% in favor)
• To guarantee basic human rights and gender equality (95.6% in favor)
• To practise a multi-party democratic system (75.3% in favor of two parties upwards)
• To be a secular state (82% favors Buddhism as a state religion)

“The drafters will have to work hard to convince the people when it comes to secularism,” said one of the pollsters.

On the other hand, the poll appears to have dismissed the fears that Shans are separatists and will settle for nothing but total independence.

Khuensai Jaiyen, the new chairman of the SSCDC, was not surprised by the results. “It proves the Shans are realistic, whatever else they are,” he said.

[…] The Shan State together with Karenni (Kayah) are allowed to secede from the Union, according to the 1947 constitution, which united Burma proper with Shan, Karenni and Kachin states.

The state constitution process was the brainchild of the late Shan leader and scholar Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (1939-2004). Through him, most states have been drafting constitutions by what is known as a “bottom-up” approach, which means drawing up the charter by talking to and seeking the views of the people.