AN opposition political party the National Democratic Front (NDF) said in a statement issued to express its opinion on establishment of advisory commission on Rakhine State that a small sovereign country like Myanmar should keep the national interest ahead of the respect for human rights. The statement criticized the appointment of a foreigner as the chair of the commission. It said by appointing a foreigner, who has no in-depth knowledge about Myanmar, to look into such an important task was inappropriate. The statement said such a person will overlook Myanmar’s national interest and will advise through human rights perspective. The statement questioned if the UN and those who placed human rights as priority would stand for Myanmar’s national interest or on human rights. The NDF party was formed in 2010 with the former members of the National League for Democracy Party (NLD), the party contested in 2015 but did not win a single parliamentary seat. Reference: The Standard Times Daily News 26 August 2016 Page 3.