Elections this week a test for fledgling democracy

THE ELECTION in Myanmar on Sunday is a test for the country’s “disciplined democracy” and whether it will become stable and secure enough to take the country into the future, But one thing is certain: the new government will face a number of fierce challenges.

The general election will be the second one under the 2008 Constitution but the first ever pitting two major rivals – the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). 

The first election under the military-sponsored charter, the first in two decades, took place in 2010 and was boycotted by the NLD, resulting in an easy victory for the USDP, which helped former general Thein Sein to become president. 

Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD members had a chance to sit in the parliament after a by-election in 2012, allowing political relaxation and more inclusive participation in politics, which has been under military control for more than half a century since independence.

Myanmar’s elite have tried to create a so-called hybrid political regime, which is a proportional mix between authoritarian and democracy, said Thammasat University academic Dulyapak Preecharush.

The Tatmadaw – Myanmar’s armed forces – retained power and influence in nearly all levels of the political structure, he said. 

It will of course matter who wins the election, he said. The armed force’s representatives share 25 per cent of seats in parliament and will take up positions in key security ministries including defence, interior and border affairs.

The 2008 Constitution authorised the commander-in-chief – now Senior General Min Aung Hlaing – to take over the government in case of any crisis or emergency. 

“The military functions in terms of power allocation and policy formation in governing the country,” said Myanmar affairs expert Dulyapak, who is also an association professor at Thammasat’s Faculty of Liberal Arts. 

The election, if it goes off smoothly on Sunday, will justify the military-backed, quasi-democratic regime but the country as well as the new government will face many challenges.

Whoever becomes Myanmar president will need to have good relations with the commander-in-chief, he said. The president has the mandate and administrative power during normal times, but the commander-in-chief will wield power during a crisis, Dulyapak said. “Relations between both are important for the stability of the regime,” Dulyapak said.

President Thein Sein carried out significant reforms while in office, but many tasks remain undone. He managed to sign a cease-fire agreement with eight armed ethnic groups, but many others are still in armed conflict. It is also unclear what kind of political platform the authorities would agree on with the ethnic groups after the peace deal. 

Myanmar is a form of a federation state, but it is not true federalism when it comes to the question of ethnic minorities. 

“It is great challenge to balance federalisation, democratisation and conflict management,” Dulyapak said. 

The general atmosphere during the election campaign over the past few months has been rather smooth, but there is still a major rift within society due to the religious difference between the vast majority, which adheres to Buddhism, and minority Muslims.

United Nation chief Ban Ki-moon early this week expressed deep concern at the continuous resort to hate speech, the incitement of communal animosities and the abuse of religion for political purposes by extreme elements among the majority community.

With the approaching elections, the UN chief in statement urged all concerned in Myanmar to eschew any kind of pressure, intimidation, dissemination of hatred or violence against individuals or organisations based on their ethnic identity, gender, religious persuasion or political views.

Communal conflicts have erupted occasionally over the past year with Buddhists in the country becoming more radical and extreme in their actions against Muslims of all races, not just the Rohingya. Many Muslims cannot participate in the elections. Thousands of them have no right to vote while many have been disqualified as candidates due to the problem of citizenship. Of the 6,000 candidates, only a dozen have clearly announced that they are Muslims.

The conflict of ethno-religious groups is the real challenge for the new government after the elections since it is developing into national disunity, Dulyapak pointed out. 

Both major parties – the USDP and the NLD – have not come out with any clear policies to tackle the growing conflict among a population of different beliefs.