Can Myanmar continue to live up to expectations?

During her visit to the United States, Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi commented that the improved situation inside her country is not irreversible, because the military is still the dominating force and can change the order of things it does not like. This is true. But for the time being, Myanmar, with reforms happening at a rapid pace, is enjoying its status as the new darling of the region. 

Compare that to Thailand, where the situation is always reversible, and nothing is set in stone. 

Suu Kyi knows full well that the more recognition Myanmar receives, the less an icon she will be. After all, she represents the ideal Myanmar that the West has in mind, not the real Myanmar that President Thein Sein represents, or the reality that its 66 million people face daily.

Sooner or later, the real and imagined Myanmar will have to reconcile and become one. Of course, this will require lots of work. 

The US is a bastion of long-standing support for Suu Kyi. After her weeklong visit she will return home with much work to do on real issues. There will be no more awards or the level of praise she received during her two decades of house arrest when the country was in the grip of the military junta. 

Thein Sein will visit the US later, and he will no doubt receive proper treatment and recognition for overcoming barriers to effect the transformation inside Myanmar. Any failure to recognise his contribution could be disruptive for the future, since the military is still closely watching the country’s reform efforts and the prospects they will bring.

The ending of all economic sanctions imposed by the West will take time, even though Myanmar is doing all it can at the moment. The latest release of more than 500 political prisoners is part of the ongoing reform effort, and will help pave the way for the president’s visit to the US.

At the moment, however, Myanmar needs real and tangible reforms that will raise the standard of living for the vast majority of people. Education, healthcare and rural development are the key challenges facing the once-isolated country. Together, Thein Sein and Suu Kyi can help bring global attention to these issues and ensure continued assistance.

Myanmar is a member of Asean and it needs to commit to the regional community in terms of attaining certain political, economic and social standards. Compared to other countries that have gone through transitional periods over the past three decades, Myanmar has so far done much better with its indigenous reforms. 

The expansion of democratic space inside the country over the past year has been remarkable given the snail-paced progress in human rights and democracy in the rest of Asean. For the past three decades Myanmar was the target of criticism that brought humiliation to the Asean family. Now can be a time of redemption for the former pariah and the regional grouping. 

It seems that the current leaders, both in the ruling and opposition parties, are working more closely together to demonstrate to their colleagues and counterparts that there is much to be learned from Myanmar.