Suu Kyi’s party plans law to make her ‘President’s boss’

The party of Aung San Suu Kyi submitted a proposal to Parliament on Thursday to create a new position for her as the “state adviser,” which would allow her to have a powerful hand in running Myanmar.

One lawmaker from her National League for Democracy party described the position as “the President’s boss,” indicating that Ms Suu Kyi’s party is helping her to achieve a pledge she has repeatedly made to be above the President, who is her confidant.

The move marked as the first legislative act of Myanmar’s new government, which took office a day earlier to become the first democratically elected government after more than 50 years of military control.

Nobel laureate Ms Suu Kyi, who had endured decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers, led her party to a landslide win in November but could not become President because of a junta-era constitution crafted to keep her out of the post. But she had repeatedly said she will run the country from behind the scenes.

Critics said since Ms Suu Kyi’s party controls both Houses so the draft law was expected to pass.