NEW DELHI (The Statesman/ANN) - Monday's opening of the first freely-elected parliament is a critical milestone in the country's fragile transition to democracy.
Myanmar has scripted another chapter in its history, and at least theoretically it signifies the success of its tryst with democracy after half a century of military rule.
Monday’s opening of the first freely elected parliament is a critical milestone in the country’s fragile transition to democracy. The adjective “fragile” is used intentionally as the omnipotent military still retains 25 per cent of the seats in both Houses. Furthermore, the junta-drafted Constitution stipulates that the new regime will have to share power with the army. Ergo, the composition of the next government might well bear the stamp of the junta. Markedly, the military members of the House wore green uniforms on the day of the inaugural, and this was the decidedly jarring note as Aung San Suu Kyi stepped into the portals of what must be the embodiment of the people’s will. The grandstanding that marked the opening of parliament was as momentous as the landmark victory of the National League for Democracy last November.
The inaugural caps the historical process of transition since 1962. Notably, the transition bore witness to Suu Kyi’s release after a 15-year incarceration, the denial of her right to form a government in 1990, a by-election in 2012 that put her in Parliament, improved relations with the United States and the European Union, and the easing of economic sanctions.
There isn’t another country in South and Southeast Asia that has been through so tormentous a phase of history. Now, in the face of the decisive verdict and in keeping with the certitudes of the democratic engagement, the GHQ ought not to have any further role to play. Regrettably, however, trends in the aftermath of Suu Kyi’s electoral triumph - the second in 25 years to be sure - do suggest that the junta may now at best allow a conditional honeymoon with democracy.
The leadership issue remains open to question; President Thein Sein is scheduled to step down in March, and the new parliament will choose his successor. But under the new Constitution, which was drawn up by the previous military-led government and accepted by Suu Kyi, she is not eligible for the position as her late husband was British. A measure of political conciliation was evident on Monday when lawmakers picked U Ti Khun Myat as Deputy Speaker. He is a member of the Kachin ethnic minority and a representative of the military-affiliated Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is now the party in opposition.The message conveyed by Suu Kyi is to effect a balance of power at the helm of the legislature, with the election of U Win Myint, a lawyer representing NLD and a former political prisoner, as the new Speaker.
At the end of the day, the army remains the key force much as the world acknowledges the forward movement.