High expectations, low civic knowledge

Low civic knowledge is prominent in the report, titled “Myanmar 2014: Civic Knowledge and Values in a Changing Society”. Funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, it showed that people have limited knowledge about the current political structure and functions of various levels of government, particularly at the sub-national levels. 

The survey included face-to-face interviews with more than 3,000 respondents across all 14 Myanmar states and regions.

A significant 82 per cent of respondents were unable to name any branches of the government, with only 14 per cent correctly citing the executive, 3 per cent the legislative, and 2 per cent the judiciary. When asked to state the percentage of parliamentary seats held by the armed forces, 68 per cent of respondents said they did not know and only 15 per cent were able to provide the correct figure of 25 per cent. About 49 per cent of respondents said they did not know if the armed forces held any seats at all.

Knowledge of the judiciary was the lowest of all. Only 29 per cent of respondents correctly named the Supreme Court as the highest court in Myanmar, while 56 per cent were unaware of the top court.

“People expressed a strong preference for democracy in the abstract and a high level of expectation that voting will bring about positive change, but they possess a limited understanding of the principles and practices that underpin a democratic society. Democracy is viewed as having provided new freedoms, but there is little association of democracy with rule by the people,” the report said.

 

In a country where 37 per cent of people get their news from television and 35 per cent from radio, people feel more knowledgeable about problems facing their local communities than they do about problems at the national level. 

As the country is undergoing political reforms towards democracy, 53 per cent of respondents said a democratic country means a country that offers freedom, followed by “rights and law” (15 per cent), “peace” (11 per cent), and “equal rights for groups” (8 per cent). Only 3 per cent mentioned “government of the people”. 

As the peace process to end the armed conflicts makes progress, respondents who were most aware of ongoing conflicts were in Kachin State (74 per cent) and Mon State (58 per cent), where ethnic armed conflict has been ongoing for years. Respondents least knowledgeable were in Chin State, where 67 per cent believe there is no armed conflict. Overall, men were more knowledgeable (63 per cent) about the conflicts than women (48 per cent). As the national ceasefire agreement will pave the way for a peaceful federal government, only 14 per cent of respondents said they had heard of the term “federalism”.

As interesting as it may seem, overall only 5 per cent of respondents said they were very interested in politics, and only a few said they discussed politics with friends almost all the time (3 per cent) or often (9 per cent). But people are eager to exercise their right to vote, with 77 per cent believing that voting can lead to improvements in the future, while only 10 per cent feel that things will not change no matter how one votes.

When it comes to the 2015 general elections, 38 per cent of respondents believed the coming election will have a very positive impact, while 42 per cent foresaw a somewhat positive impact. Only 4 per cent felt the election would have no impact at all, and 15 per cent said they did not know. 

When asked whether they would end a friendship if a friend supported a political party most people don’t like, 41 per cent said they would, while 52 per cent said they would not.

There are significant differences in the states on this issue, with 68 per cent in Rakhine State suggesting they would end the friendship, compared to just 18 per cent in Shan State. Political polarisation is also higher in rural areas, with 45 per cent opting to end the friendship, compared to 32 per cent who would do so in urban areas.

The report said that Myanmar people are positive about the current situation in the country, but there is a pervasive underlying uncertainty. Those believing that the country is going in the right direction anticipate that the reform process would deliver roads, schools and economic growth. Those pessimistic about the direction highlighted ongoing conflicts, a bad economy or lack of development, and problematic governance and corruption. 

Economic performance figures prominently as a public concern, serving as a key indicator on how well, people feel, the country is doing. Half of the respondents said their economic situation had not changed from last year. Nearly a third of all respondents (31 per cent) reported being in a better economic situation, and 4 per cent were much better off, while 14 per cent felt they were worse off than they were a year ago. 

“In this regard, the economic values that people express bode well for the future if properly harnessed to drive inclusive growth as market-oriented reforms continue. People feel strongly that competition, individual effort, and hard work contribute to a better life, and that there is enough economic opportunity to benefit everyone. Nevertheless, the public continues to have a high expectation that the government will play a strong role in ensuring an equitable and inclusive society,” said the report.