Question

struggle for demoracy in myanmar

Answer 1

Myanmar/Burma is in the fourth year of a historic transition out of military rule that began after the junta dissolved itself in March 2011, replaced by an elected parliament and the government led by President Thein Sein. New elections are expected in November for its second government under the 2008 constitution. While expressing commitment to holding a free and fair election, the Thein Sein government has left in place a constitutional obstacle to allowing Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), from becoming the country’s next president. The NLD seems likely to emerge from the new elections with the most seats in the legislature, but may fall short of its landslide victory in the 1990 election, which was not accepted by the ruling military junta.

On July 14, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a discussion of Myanmar’s progress over the past four years and the prospects for strengthening democratic rule under the next government. Delphine Schrank, a former reporter with The Washington Post, spent four years among dissidents in Myanmar/Burma and has written a narrative nonfiction account about their epic multi-generational fight for democracy. Her book “The Rebel of Rangoon; A Tale of Defiance and Deliverance” (Nation Books, 2015) will set the stage for the discussion. Panelists included Brookings Senior Fellow Ted Piccone, Nonresident Senior Fellow Lex Rieffel, and Priscilla Clapp, former chief-of-mission to the U.S. Embassy in Burma (1999-2002). Richard Bush, senior fellow and director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies, offered opening remarks and moderated the discussion.

Answer 2

The following points may help you:

a. Myanmar gained Independence from the colonial rule in 1948 and established a democratic rule.
b. However, the country lived under the brutal military dictatorship. The military regime in Myanmar from 1962-2011, has crushed pro democracy movements and has arrested people, activists supporting democratic rule, it has indulged in massacre of innocent people.
c. Myanmar since then, has witnessed worst form of ethnic violence, human rights violation, economic underdevelopment, corruption and poverty.
d. In the 1990 multi party election Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) had won a landslide victory in but was not allowed to govern and was rather put under house arrest.
e. The military regime did not tolerate any dissent, opposition to its rule.
f. In 2010, the country had General elections, which military leaders referred as modest steps , though opposition severely criticized elections as rigged and characterized by malpractices and fraud. Aung San Suu Kyi was released after 2010 election.
g. Today, Myanmar is on the threshold of democratic change. From April 2011, it has taken the first tentative steps on its journey towards democracy, towards freedom.