By: Anikeit Chanda
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma stood poised to have its first democratic election since its independence from 50 years of military rule after which it has continued to be run by the military. The vote was to be conducted on November 8th and although the idea was to have a fully democratic process going into and throughout the election, it took no expert on Myanmaric politics to realize that the election had some pretty serious flaws. Yet, the world and the people of Myanmar awaited the election and held their breath in anticipation of this landmark event in the history of their country.
Since 2011, after the instatement of the quasi-civilian government received international praise for making humanitarian reforms to help its people, largely oppressed under the military regime. However, in recent years, it is feared that the country may be sliding back on its reforms. The country is currently home to what the UN deem as recent bout of radical Buddhist nationalism has emerged in the country, and under state backing, they are no longer recognized as part of the Myanmaric people. They are indiscriminately a target of government backed pogroms. They are deprived of the basic necessities of life: food, shelter and medical supplies. Around 140,000 are confined to displacement camps, with poor infrastructure and sanitation, the breeding grounds for disease and despair. Thousands attempt to flee in rickety boats or by using the services of highly questionable people smugglers. It is not a stretch to conclude that Myanmar is in the midst of a government backed mass extermination of Rohingya Muslims.
The predicted winner for this year and the hope of the international community and the people of Myanmar was the NLD or National League for Democracy lead by widely renowned democratic activist and Noble Peace prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Claiming to fight for the individual rights of all the Burmese people, it had been stated by multiple experts on the political scene in Myanmar that, in a completely fair, free election it would be extremely easy for the NLD to win as a result of the popularity vote. However, there amount to nothing. In 1990, after a spate of student led protests, the NLD were able to secure 60% of the popular vote and 80% of the parliamentary votes. Effectively Aung San Suu Kyi, the presidential candidate had won. However, the military refused to honor the result and she was instead put under house arrest for 15 years. This year she can even run for president due to another questionable rule in the constitution. But as she states, that the next candidate will have near identical ideals and policies. But wait, there are still more catches! 25% of the parliamentary seats are reserved for military powers according to the constitution. What this does, essentially, is give the military veto power, making it so that even if a progressive party like the NLD do win the election, it military to keep a vigilant eye on the proceedings of the country.
In opposition to the NLD is the ruling party, the USDP staffed by the former junta generals of the military regime and it is heavily unlikely that they are going to go down without a fight in the election. The party has positioned itself completely against Muslims and have recently had a purge of all members that seem to be moderate or sympathetic to Suu Kyi’s cause.
So now, with all this evidence presented before us, was it still fair to conclude that this would be a fully democratic election that would go down in the history books around the world and in Myanmar? Perhaps. But most probably not so. Could we really expect a country with a history of going against popular results from elections and a government backing state instituted genocide to abide by the democratic nature of the 2015 elections? Only time could have told. Would the world again wait and just watch as undemocratic practices go by in this country for a second time? Would the world watch as an entire group of people were exterminated by their own government? And even assuming that the NLD manage to squeeze in a victory, it is almost common knowledge that the president really isn’t all that powerful in Myanmar. Key security ministries (defense, home affairs and border affairs) are selected by the head of the army, not the president, and there can be no change to the constitution without military approval. So, even if a democratic party is able to come to power, can it be expected to do anything at all under the pressure of the military. None of the problems that they wish to solve may actually be solved. All in all, the situation in Myanmar looks as bleak as ever. With the international community looking unlikely to partake in any of these affairs it is highly likely that yet again, we as a human race have failed to protect the numerous oppressed and confined people and at this point, with the election this close, we can only help by bringing more awareness to the issue and hope for the best. And in the case that the elections do go awry as they seem posed to be, we can try to draw more awareness to this issue, so that at least, by the next election or even during this term, we as an international community are able to focus our pressure upon Myanmar to hope to secure a human rights victory, albeit quite late, but still better than never.
At the end of the day, the Myanmaric people have spoken. And their cries have finally been answered. The best possible conclusion has come forward. Holding 90% of the seats, the NLD emerged victorious with Aung San Suu Kyi herself leading after receiving a seat in the parliament, even though it was formerly feared that she would be completely shunned from the runnings of the government. It also seems like she will be behind every presidential decision henceforth as she states, that the “president will act in accordance with the party” and that “she will be above the president.” Leading party figures have taken seats in all the representative houses and the threat of the minority voice being drowned out seem to have been drowned out. However, although the best possible situation seems to have been attained, there are still issues lurking beneath the surface. The 25% military participation rule in parliament still stands and their veto power is still a massive question mark as to how reforms are going to be made in their presence. And finally, regarding minorities and the Rohignya problem, it seems as if that might not be remedied either with the new government. Going into the elections, the NLD seemed to have gone unnaturally silent when questioned about the Rohignyas and many speculate that they may not have any major plans with the Rohignyas and inducting them into Myanmaric society again. Regardless of all these ailments, only time can tell how Myanmar’s new government will shape up. Meanwhile, the Myanmaric people look forward to a bright future with the NLD. “We’ve been suppressed for a long time,” says U Saan Maw, a local. “This is our chance for freedom.”
