The road to Burmese democracy has been fraught with challenge, and recent events have further highlighted the struggle. On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military—the Tatmadaw—declared the results of the country’s second general elections fraudulent, announced a state of emergency and forced the State Counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. By way of a coup, the Tatmadaw has seized political power—again.
Since Burmese independence from the British in 1948, the Tatmadaw has previously staged two coups against representative democracies. The first was General Ne Win’s coup in 1962, which instated isolationist economic policies that culminated in widespread poverty. Swathes of student-led protests braved the Tatmadaw’s aggression in the 8888 Uprising—so called for its date of August 8, 1988—to demand the resignation of Ne Win and the establishment of a multiparty democracy.1 General Saw Maung ousted Ne Win’s regime in September 1988, violently suppressed the protests and set to work “restoring order” through his State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).
SLORC, later renamed the State Peace and Development Council, introduced a new—and decidedly undemocratic—constitution in 2008.2 It declares that 25% of parliamentary seats must be reserved for the Tatmadaw; additionally, proposed changes to the constitution require an approval rate from parliament greater than 75%, granting the military virtually undeterred veto power.2
The authority of the 2008 Constitution persists today.
This junta dissolved in 2011 and a civilian parliament was granted power for a transitional period, although the Tatmadaw still maintained its influence through proxies.1 In a promising step towards free and fair elections, the country held a semi-democratic election in 2015, which saw the National League for Democracy (NLD) win a majority of seats in Parliament and the confirmation of Aung San Suu Kyi as State Counselor.
But only six years later, the Tatmadaw threatens progress once again. In the election of 2020, the NLD took a resounding 83% of the available 476 seats in parliament, leaving only 17% for the military—in violation of the repressive 2008 constitution.2 Although human rights groups noted flaws in otherwise fair elections—for example, the minority Rohingya population’s disenfranchisement—the country’s election commission rejected the military’s claims of voter fraud.2 In response, General Min Aung Hlaing led an early morning raid against NLD party leaders. After consulting history, a pattern emerges in which the Tatmadaw cedes at least some of its power to a civilian government, declares its proceedings illegitimate, and invokes the existing constitution to regain power. Since 1962, the military has retained its influence by consistently meeting reform efforts with suppression.
In resistance, a general strike has effectively shut down the country.3 Pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets despite threats of violence in an eerie mimicry of the 8888 Uprising. Defiance alone, however, is merely the beginning of efforts to break free of this decades-long cycle. International organizations must stand with the protests and condemn the Tatmadaw’s takeover, urging them to honor the results of the 2020 election and help usher in meaningful democratic reforms.
Works Cited
1. Maizland, Lindsay. Myanmar's Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict. 9 Feb. 2021, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya.ww.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya.
2. Michael W. Myanmar Coup: How the Military Has Held Onto Power for 60 Years. The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2021, https://theconversation.com/myanmar-coup-how-the-military-has-held-onto-power-for-60-years-154526ps://theconversation.com/myanmar-coup-how-the-military-has-held-onto-power-for-60-years-154526.
3. Associated Press. More Myanmar Protests Follow Strike Amid Foreign Concerns, Associated Press, 23 Feb. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/world-news-myanmar-strikes-yangon-9561b12adb0145d5ef6fde33c4bb0ec7https://apnews.com/article/world-news-myanmar-strikes-yangon-9561b12adb0145d5ef6fde33c4bb0ec7.
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