The upper hand
Myanmar is now a Presidential, constitutional republic, with a legislature elected to support the law-making of a
strong executive. This system has evolved from what was a series of military dictatorships that ruled the country
from 1962. Adequately characterizing the current system of government is difficult because the military continues
to influence many of the key decisions in Naypyitaw even though its official role has been greatly reduced.
The country therefore sits in an awkward position of semi-democracy that frustrates those who wished that faster
progress had been made towards a genuinely participatory political system. The transition will be tested by the
proposed elections in 2015, which will likely bring about more sustained changes to the overall political climate.
In a rapidly changing political context, while there is not a long history of broad-based social participation, there
is a growing awareness that such participation will not pose an unreasonable threat to the transitional system.
Media organizations that were previously allowed only to operate in exile, and often in secret, have been
recently welcomed back to Myanmar. They continue to attack the government and its policies, but do so from
the advantageous positions they now enjoy inside the country. There are still, however, those who struggle to find
Page | 3
support for their approach to confrontation with the government. In the past year some journalists and activists
have been prosecuted for their work, although such cases are much less frequent than they were under military
rule.
While even in 2014 Internet usage in Myanmar remains low, a rambunctious culture of online discussion has
emerged. Myanmar’s Internet has become an unruly forum for the distribution of provocative anti-Muslim material
fanning hatred among those who are already inclined to chauvinist attitudes. The censorship that limited the utility
of the Internet in earlier years has been replaced by free-wheeling discussions, including of sensitive political
topics. During periods of inter-communal tension the government has allegedly sought to control Internet usage as
a means of disrupting the flow of potentially explosive material.
Policy and legal matters
Currently there are efforts to implement a law against inter-faith marriages that would, in a very clear way,
criminalize certain interactions with the country’s Muslim and Christian populations. The current draft of this law
stipulates that Buddhist women will be precluded from marrying Muslim men, and that Muslims would need to
convert to Buddhism before such marriages would be approved. There has been much consternation about
the role of these proposed restrictions in contemporary Myanmar. They will serve to undermine some of the
confidence of the population at a time when communal harmony is fragile. Among nationalist, Buddhist elements
there is great anxiety about the perceived incursions that Muslims have made. Some of those anxieties are
focused, simply, on the growing number of Muslims in the country. In other cases there are more personal reasons,
including economic grievances and religious prejudices, which are leading to the entrenchment of cleavages.
These blur the boundaries between ethnic and racial concerns, especially where Muslims are perceived to be
foreigners, identified by their darker skin and alien cultural practices.
Perhaps the most significant division between the Bamar majority and some ethnic and religious minority
populations is seen in the level of recruitment to the military. The preeminent role of the armed forces during
Myanmar’s recent history makes the lack of non-Bamar personnel an issue of significant concern for the long-term
acceptance of state security organizations. Histories of abusive interactions with ethnic minorities are problematic
in a context where the representativeness of the military has long been criticized. The police, a paramilitary force
under the overall control of former military officers, struggles for respect, especially in those parts of the country
where the local population is reluctant to trust any uniformed government personnel. Recruitment for the security
sector that better reflects the ethnic and religious composition of the country will require attitude changes from both
the government and the population-at-large. For now there are major challenges of perception that undermine the
confidence that many of Myanmar’s people have in those who are supposed to keep them safe.
The upper handMyanmar is now a Presidential, constitutional republic, with a legislature elected to support the law-making of astrong executive. This system has evolved from what was a series of military dictatorships that ruled the countryfrom 1962. Adequately characterizing the current system of government is difficult because the military continuesto influence many of the key decisions in Naypyitaw even though its official role has been greatly reduced.The country therefore sits in an awkward position of semi-democracy that frustrates those who wished that fasterprogress had been made towards a genuinely participatory political system. The transition will be tested by theproposed elections in 2015, which will likely bring about more sustained changes to the overall political climate.In a rapidly changing political context, while there is not a long history of broad-based social participation, thereis a growing awareness that such participation will not pose an unreasonable threat to the transitional system.Media organizations that were previously allowed only to operate in exile, and often in secret, have beenrecently welcomed back to Myanmar. They continue to attack the government and its policies, but do so fromthe advantageous positions they now enjoy inside the country. There are still, however, those who struggle to find Page | 3support for their approach to confrontation with the government. In the past year some journalists and activistshave been prosecuted for their work, although such cases are much less frequent than they were under militaryrule.While even in 2014 Internet usage in Myanmar remains low, a rambunctious culture of online discussion hasemerged. Myanmar’s Internet has become an unruly forum for the distribution of provocative anti-Muslim materialfanning hatred among those who are already inclined to chauvinist attitudes. The censorship that limited the utilityof the Internet in earlier years has been replaced by free-wheeling discussions, including of sensitive politicaltopics. During periods of inter-communal tension the government has allegedly sought to control Internet usage asa means of disrupting the flow of potentially explosive material.Policy and legal mattersCurrently there are efforts to implement a law against inter-faith marriages that would, in a very clear way,criminalize certain interactions with the country’s Muslim and Christian populations. The current draft of this lawstipulates that Buddhist women will be precluded from marrying Muslim men, and that Muslims would need toconvert to Buddhism before such marriages would be approved. There has been much consternation aboutthe role of these proposed restrictions in contemporary Myanmar. They will serve to undermine some of theconfidence of the population at a time when communal harmony is fragile. Among nationalist, Buddhist elementsthere is great anxiety about the perceived incursions that Muslims have made. Some of those anxieties are
focused, simply, on the growing number of Muslims in the country. In other cases there are more personal reasons,
including economic grievances and religious prejudices, which are leading to the entrenchment of cleavages.
These blur the boundaries between ethnic and racial concerns, especially where Muslims are perceived to be
foreigners, identified by their darker skin and alien cultural practices.
Perhaps the most significant division between the Bamar majority and some ethnic and religious minority
populations is seen in the level of recruitment to the military. The preeminent role of the armed forces during
Myanmar’s recent history makes the lack of non-Bamar personnel an issue of significant concern for the long-term
acceptance of state security organizations. Histories of abusive interactions with ethnic minorities are problematic
in a context where the representativeness of the military has long been criticized. The police, a paramilitary force
under the overall control of former military officers, struggles for respect, especially in those parts of the country
where the local population is reluctant to trust any uniformed government personnel. Recruitment for the security
sector that better reflects the ethnic and religious composition of the country will require attitude changes from both
the government and the population-at-large. For now there are major challenges of perception that undermine the
confidence that many of Myanmar’s people have in those who are supposed to keep them safe.
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