Myanmar’s transformation in 2011, started with several momentous events: the promise of a transfer from military to civilian run government, and the release from house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had spent the majority of the previous two decades under house arrest.
Since then, over a thousand political prisoners have been released, international sanctions lifted, and political reforms instated. The country is welcoming foreign investment and has even established a National Human Rights Commission. Progress so far should be applauded. However, many challenges and lingering questions remain, with some even arguing that Myanmar’s reforms are now stalling, raising concerns amongst observers who wish to see a democratic election in 2015.
Aung San Suu Kyi
A key concern is the question of whether Myanmar’s most famous woman will actually get to stand in presidential elections due next year.
After initial hopes after she was elected to parliament in 2012, little progress has been made to change Article 59(f) of the 2008 constitution that bans anyone married to a foreigner or having had children with a foreigner from running for president. It is a clause thought to have been included specifically to prevent her from ever running in elections, given that she married a British citizen and has two sons.
Lately, tensions have been rising between Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein, as well as the military, after an initial phase of friendly relations. Suu Kyi has increased her campaigning, making international visits to raise this issue. On a speech in Germany in March, Suu Kyi stated “Burma is not yet a democracy” and questioned whether the current government wished “to go toward a truly democratic union or go towards an authoritarian state disguised in democratic garb?”
Political Prisoners
Despite President Thein Sein vowing to free all of Myanmar’s political prisoners by the end of 2013, some still remain.
As of January 2014, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 46 persecuted people remain behind bars in Myanmar’s prison system, with around 70 others awaiting trial and another 148 sentenced, some in absentia. More worrying is the fact that most presidential amnesties granted appear to be “conditional”, meaning ex-prisoners can find themselves back behind bars at any time.
Rohingya
Of extreme concern is the situation of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, who are yet to be recognised as an official ethnic group, and therefore excluded from the country’s citizenship act.
Denied rights such as freedom of movement, many continue to live in squalid conditions in refugee camps, their conditions made worse by the recent exit of aid agencies, most of whom left Rakhine state after an attack on their offices in late March.
With the humanitarian situation rapidly deteriorating, eyes are shifting to the regional bloc of ASEAN to pressure the Myanmar government on the issue.
However, despite expressing concern over Myanmar’s violence in the past towards the Rohingya, ASEAN seems keen not to intervene as strongly this time, confirming it was not discussing Rohingya at the biannual summit of ASEAN that is taking place over the weekend.
This is a shame. Given that Myanmar is the ASEAN Chair for 2014, this is a good time to hold it to account for its democratic reform, as well as its remaining challenges. Instead, by choosing to remain silent, ASEAN may inadvertently allow an escalation of the Rohingya crisis, as well as a delay or at worst, a stall in movement to ensure fully democratic elections in 2015. Despite all the country has gone through, the 2015 poll is thought to be the true measure of Myanmar’s success in achieving positive reform. If this is in anyway hampered, the country will have been dealt a very large blow.
For more information see:
Report: Election tensions rise
(Guardian, 22 April 2014)
Report: Myanmar keeps Rohingya from upstaging summit (WSJ, 11 May 2014)
Report: Freeing Myanmar’s Political Prisoners
(Al Jazeera, 7 January 2014)
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