Voters in Myanmar being kept in the dark

Four years since President Thein Sein’s government launched the reform process, Myanmar has made progress on the road to democracy. Yet on one key route to an open society – freedom of expression – authorities maintain blocks.
While it’s true that press freedom has improved since the days under the military junta, it still falls far short of the standards expected of a genuinely democratic state.
In return for the easing of international sanctions, Thein Sein’s government pledged to carry out broad-ranging reform in politics and the economy. Before 2012, few could have imagined that Myanmar citizens would be given the chance to run daily newspapers.
There are now 32 such newspapers, along with 429 weekly journals and 347 monthly magazines, many started by self-exiled journalists who returned home after the military junta was dissolved in 2011. More dailies and other kinds of media outlets are on their way, as businesses scramble to gain a foothold in a sphere once confined to government-run operations.
Over the past few years, Myanmar has steadily climbed in the “freedom” rankings of international media rating agencies such as Reporters Without Borders. Journalists in Myanmar now have more freedom than many of their colleagues in Asean neighbours like Malaysia and Singapore, say the agencies.
But the initial optimism is quickly beginning to sour. Journalists are still being arrested, imprisoned and intimidated. Media outlets in Myanmar say they are now under threat. Over 20 cases of arrest and serious intimidation have been documented since 2013.
Journalists have been arrested on the say-so of officials who complained of being misquoted. Misquotation is common in the media industry and is easily corrected with a clarification. But in Myanmar, the response has been to arrest journalists. In one case, the editor in chief and a senior reporter from the Myanmar Post were sentenced to two months in prison for defamation after they allegedly misquoted a member of parliament.
Reporters who covered the student protests early this month were detained for days just because they shared information of officialdoms’ heavy-handed response to the demonstration.
Media freedom and the free flow of information in Myanmar is important at this crucial period in its democratic transition, as the country prepares to hold a general election in November. The election will test whether the new political system, though designed by the junta, is a stable foundation on which to build democracy. It is a key indicator of whether Myanmar, following decades of military rule, will be able to make the transition to a modern and open democratic state.
Freedom of expression has a vital role to play in that transition. People in the country need information to make their decision in the coming election, where competition between political parties will be fierce.
Myanmar voters need to be kept up to date with everything that is happening in the political sphere, including government affairs, the parties’ policies and positions, speeches of the main political actors, and the progress of efforts for nationwide peace and reconciliation. 
Many in Myanmar and the international community want to know how the current Constitution will be amended. The chief question is whether Nobel Laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be given the opportunity to run for president. The current junta-drafted charter bans anyone who has been married to a foreigner from becoming president (Suu Kyi had a British husband).  
How can Myanmar voters be informed about political affairs, reform, the peace process and reconciliation if freedom of expression and the media are restricted? Access to accurate information is crucial for Myanmar voters at this time as they prepare to make choices that will ultimately decide the fate and future of their country.
Rather than limiting media coverage and intimidating journalists, Myanmar authorities must free up the flow of information and allow the media to take responsibility when they misinform public. Arresting, detaining and intimidating journalists is not the right way to create a mature and democratic society for Myanmar.