Will the Elections in Burma Bring Change?

The four participants in the discussion agreed that the election that is being held in Burma in November will certainly be neither free nor fair. In the words of Marek Benda, a Member of the Czech Parliament: “It is evident that the election won’t change a thing!”

 

As Cheery Zahau, an activist living on the Burmese border explained, regardless of the vote, there cannot be any kind of democratic change in Burma as the constitution enshrines dictatorship and the election is merely the junta’s tool for legitimizing itself in the eyes of the international community. The constitution gives a 25 % allocation of seats in Parliament to the military and provides many restrictions to prevent the opposition from participating in the election and in any real political discussion. “It is up to the international community to decide where it wants to stand. Do not recognize the election in Burma.” concluded Cheery Zahau.

 

The election will resemble those of the 1980s in the Eastern bloc. However, Jiří Šitler from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Burma faces even bigger problems. Besides the fatal economic mismanagement and political repression, there is an even bigger challenge – the issue of minorities. The election will not take place in approximately 1/6 of the districts that are outside full control of the government because the results can´t be guaranteed there. These so-called “black zones”, inhabited mainly by minority ethnic groups hostile to the government, are areas of frequent human rights violations and aggression against civilians. Šitler referred to the war crimes and crimes against humanity which the junta may be committing there.

 

Even Marek Benda did not have any hope for “the game of democracy that Eastern Europe knows well” as he called the Burmese election. He highlighted the need to support the UN Commission of Inquiry and he warned against prioritizing economic interests since there must be truly democratic majority rule in Burma before business can be taken into consideration.

 

Nevertheless, not only the Burmese in Burma suffer. Sabe Soe from the Burma Center Prague mentioned the issue of refugees in countries such as India, Thailand or even Bangladesh where thousands of Burmese have spent many years in camps and there is a danger that after the elections, the refugees will be repatriated without any protection. Governments should raise this issue when dealing with their counterparts from countries that are also the destinations of Burmese refugees, added Sabe Soe.

 

Military rule came from within. The inability of the first constitution to provide meaningful political participation for the many ethnic groups was a main cause of the civil war that brought the military to power in 1962. However, to give Burma hope for an end to its oppressive regime, there is an evident need of change in external international circumstances. Cheery Zhao still believes the change must come from within. But this election will not bring it.