France encourages a bottom-up approach

FRANCE is committed to providing substantial support for citizen initiatives related to elections in Myanmar in an effort to bring people together for credible and inclusive elections. 

The efforts include the French Embassy allocating US$280,000 (Bt9.79 million) via small grants to 13 civil society organisations involved in voter education, media capacity improvement, and election monitoring, with a strong focus on gender and marginalised populations’ inclusion. In total since 2012, the embassy has allocated around $2.5 million for civil society projects in Myanmar.

In an exclusive interview, French Ambassador Thierry Mathou underscored the importance of civil society in ensuring free and fair elections. The more people are aware of the elections, the more people will go to polls. To him, the election on November 8 will play a crucial role in maintaining the country’s growth momentum, while serving as a historical moment of Myanmar’s transition. 

“I have been impressed by what has been achieved so far. To some extent, it is okay if you compared this transition process to what happened in other countries. We have seen impressive changes in this country but further changes are needed for Myanmar to become a genuine democracy,” said the ambassador who has been posted in the country for five years.

“The process is a top-down approach. The essence of democracy is not a top-down approach. It has to be a bottom-up [approach]. Democracy is the government of all the people by the people. We cannot say who will win the elections. But we need the elections to be transparent, free and fair.”

Travelling across the country, Mathou observed low election awareness in remote areas Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. A large number of people still do not know why they should vote and whom they should vote for, he said.

The European Union has been invited to observe the election and France will be represented in the observation team. 

As of July 30, the National League for Democracy, expected to win the landslide victory, has not yet announced its final list of candidates, amid a rumour that it will compete for a total of 500 seats. Nearly 4,000 people applied to be nominated as its candidates. 

The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party is set to compete for 149 seats: 45 seats for the Lower House, 12 seats for the Upper House, 90 seats in regional parliaments, one Kayin seat and one Rakhine seat.

In the election, there will be 330 constituencies for the Lower House (one per township), 168 constituencies for the Upper House (12 per region or state), 644 constituencies for the regional or state parliaments (two per township) and 29 constituencies for ethnic minority seats 

Mathou added the government needed to organise the election everywhere in the country, including in ethnic regions. 

“We really hope the fighting between the Myanmar army and ethnic armed groups would stop before the elections. It is also an issue for international observers including EU ones to be able to go to such difficult places and monitor the process on the ground,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of a ceasefire agreement, as ethnic groups represent about 40 per cent of the population.

“In a democracy, they have to get their shares of the power, natural resources, etc. The peace process is to some extent the missing link between all the issues here. National reconciliation is the resolution to the peace process,” he said.

Political stability is expected to improve bilateral economic ties. France reopened diplomatic relations in 2011 and in 2012 Thein Sein was the first Myanmar president to visit France. As a follow-up, both governments signed agreements involving agriculture, culture, information, health, and other areas.

Mathou said at the same time, France was forging a close relationship with Myanmar’s civil society. 

“We are eager to make new steps for the development of bilateral relations, providing that the development of the elections will be what we expect – I mean, a new democracy.”

Mathou said economic development was the most crucial element for Myanmar’s growth and foreign direct investment was the key priority to develop the economy for the people. Yet, several unclear legal issues remain a barrier to investment entry. Among the French companies, Total, an oil and gas exploration firm, is the biggest to make its presence felt in the country.

French investment in Myanmar is slow when compared to Asian countries as sanctions were lifted only in 2013. 

The France-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce was established last year and it has more than 100 members. But Mathou is optimistic France could become the largest European investor in Myanmar.

“Our companies are developing very rapidly and are confident in the future of Myanmar. But it does not mean that they find it easy to work in Myanmar. Despite some obstacles in entering the market, they are very active to do business here. 

“I must say that major stakeholders are arriving in the country’s different sectors like hospitality, electricity, energy, cement, etc. And I foresee a lot of improvements in infrastructure, agriculture, information technology, and the education system,” he said.