But more importantly, the Tatmadaw had only begun to give up some of its
ultimate power. As the state institution that also constituted
itself as the state regime for over five decades, the Tatmadaw remained
profoundly integrated into the fabric of the state. Both formally and informally, it
controlled or strongly influenced and benefited from a significant—probably
majority—proportion of the state’s economy. It controlled the direction and pace
of change and, indeed, through the NDSC explicitly reserved to itself the right to
replace any government should it deem that the circumstances so warrant.