Political Liberalization in Burma - Essay Example

Political Liberalization in Burma Background Burma is a country in East Asia where the military has been entrenched in dictatorship and authoritarian power with the political, economic and social situation having been depressed over years. The other country in East Asia that is still struggling with regime change and political instability is North Korea. During the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the East-west divide, there were positive developments in Asia with a number of countries dominated by the military regimes achieving political transition to democracies and saw economic growth and development of free markets (Alchin 5). Burma, like many African countries, was ruled by the British for almost a century and inherited structures, and institutional set up of free market and parliamentary democracy but could not take advantage of this to advance its political and economic situation (Egreteau 470). This paper will study the deficiency of the military rule in Burma and try to make useful recommendations on how the government can improve the country’s political, economic and social situation through democratic governance. The study will also explore and identify means by which the international community could help the country come up with the most appropriate forms of assistance and interventions to sustain a stable democracy, though, there needs to be some effort in putting in place transitional governance to allow for external leveraging. Burma’s strengths as a country in supporting the building of social, economic, legal, and governmental institutions will also be discussed (Selth 15). Burma’s Political, Economic and Social Situation A country that does not have a reliable economic structure, strong and tolerant civil institutions will usually impend transition to democratic governance and create room for anarchy as well as autocratic rule. Burma has since 19901 been struggling to move out of a stubborn military regime to form a credible government and aim to attract international economic and humanitarian assistance into the country. Even with a successful attempt for regime change in 1990, the country did not manage to usher in a new age of pluralistic rule through democracy and empowerment of the civil society. This was because there has been decades of politically brutal and economically unfavorable military rule, which has left the civil society and the population in murky waters in terms of development (Brown 732). The army generals refused to let go the country’s power and insisted that a constitution drawn from their guidelines and preferences would need to foremost be in place so that the winning party be allowed to form a sitting parliament. The leaders of the opposition party were subjected to harsh life conditions including jail, and many years later the promise of a new constitution has not come to pass, with forces of the opposition being continuously frustrated by the military regime. Of the three main ruling generals, General Khin Nyunt seemed to understand the importance of a political transition to elevate the nation and increase opportunities for economic and investment prosperity. General Khin was jailed for 44 years in 2004 because of propagating economic and societal developmental concepts including opening the country to the international community, together with the opposition party (Steinberg 11). Although it may be said that Burma’s political and economic reforms have started to bear fruit, recent events such as the 2010 elections still portray the country’s political landscape as rigid and not meeting expectations. Judging from the outcome of the elections where the regime’s USDP2 party won overwhelmingly with the opposition NLD claiming massive rigging and the international observers issuing statements about the failure of the election in meeting international standards (Haacke 5). While the country’s rulers might have had a strategy to achieve a multiparty democracy, a number of other methodologies could be employed. From the militant government point of view, formation of the State Peace and Development Committee (SPDC) was a step wise process to regime change. Other options to trigger a transition that might come as initiatives by the citizens, as well as the civil society include planning for an internal coup or infighting, happening of the unexpected event, widespread social unrest or uprising instigated by the masses. The existence of military rule for years in Burma has created distortions in the macroeconomic environment including ever increasing inflation because of printing of money to finance government operations and as a result of a weak monetary and fiscal system. Lack of institutions to support a free market economy such as banking and micro finance, rising unemployment and poverty levels, increasing corruption and lack of proper governance of public resources are also reasons cited. The control of the trade policy by the military government with an aim to sway the local market only does more harm than good to the economy. An effort to change the regime to a political democracy will improve the economic situation, reduce poverty and ensure sustainable development by setting up the most needed institutions to support market growth, economic prosperity and rule of the law (Farrelly 360). This will not be possible particularly at the onset without external support in terms of provision of technical assistance, information, finances and guidance. Proper management by the government of the country’s resources such as land, agricultural endowment and gas reserves available in the country will also improve the economic situation by enhancing revenues for budgetary support (Callahan 22). Recommendations In order for Burma to initiate the creation of sustainable democratic institutions and begin to achieve economic, social, and political advancement the authorities must start by addressing the absence of a proper financial system to support markets as well as the legal framework. It can do this by correcting the distorted monetary and fiscal policies existing in the country to protect the nation’s currency value, stabilize the price level for goods and services, attract investment and promote international trade (Beech 25). Another area for policy intervention and reform under the purview of legal infrastructure and social justice is the lack of individual and human rights in Burma particularly from the authorities. Legal reforms will not only improve social justice but also promote stabilization of the economy, and thriving of business activity as corruption which had been institutionalized in the military rule is reduced significantly (Pedersen 50). A key prerequisite to a democratic rule in Burma would be to put in place a working constitution, which must be a product of the people and not a few partisan parties from the government of the day (Williams 1680). There have been proposals on monetary reform all pointing to the need for phased implementation to minimize shocks and panic and also empathized on strong and comprehensive educational programs to the public to prepare and embrace change (Nyein 27). The World Bank in 1999 recommended putting in place of market liberalization mechanisms, increase of the budget spending in areas of social services and infrastructure development, as well as eradication of; (i) artificial official exchange rates, (ii) inefficient mechanisms for rice trade, (iii) private sector business restrictions, (iv) inefficient state agencies. With the current developments in the country in terms of economic and political reforms, the international donor communities including OECD have expressed some amount of satisfaction and confidence in the government. Last year, the government allowed the official opposition party to participate in by-elections as well as support the party to reopen its offices countrywide. This move has been hailed by the international community to promote the establishment of majority politics in the country (Dukalskis 43). Much is expected from the government in terms of supporting and fostering institutional reforms and improving the lifestyles of the people. The improvement of the economic situation will be successful through setting up the most needed institutions to support market growth, economic prosperity, and provision of basic needs to the populace and promotion of social justice and the rule of the law (Shaw 18). A democratic government will of course call for more financial resources to manage especially because it involves multi parties, which enable full representation of the people in parliament and government leading to a bloated cabinet. Additionally, institutional set up is itself an expensive affair that will expand the expenditure side of the budget (Thawnghmung 67). The people will also expect the government to promote transparency and accountability in the use of public funds not just locally but also internationally, both at the budget planning level and during implementation. It is also expected that the government will incorporate in the budget the needs of civil society and community organizations to promote the development of social justice and equality. Conclusion Burma’s political history is characterized by the military dictatorship and authoritarian power, which has resulted in a depressed political, economic and social situation over years. A key prerequisite to a democratic rule in Burma would be to put in place a working constitution, which must be a product of the will of the majority to enhance by-in and ownership. In order for Burma to initiate a creation of sustainable democratic institutions and begin to achieve economic, social and political advancement, the country must formulate and implement comprehensive economic, social and legal reforms. Works Cited Alchin, Joseph. ‘In Burma: a fake out – or real reform?’ Christian Science Monitor, 10/16/2011, pN.PAG, Beech, Hannah. ‘A New Hope Burma's Repressive regime is loosening its grip. Will the reforms last?’ Time International (Atlantic Edition), 12/12/2011, Vol. 178 Issue 23, p22-27 Brown, Ian. ‘Tracing Burma's Economic Failure to Its Colonial Inheritance’, Business History Review; Winter2011, Vol. 85 Issue 4, p725-747 Callahan, Mary. ‘Myanmar’s Perpetual Junta’, New Left Review, Nov/Dec 2009.22 Dukalskis, Alexander. ‘Stateness Problems or Regime Unification? Explaining Obstables to Democratization in Burma/Myanmar’, Democratization, 16(5), 2009. Egreteau, Renaud. ‘A passage to Burma? India, development, and democratization in Myanmar,’ Contemporary Politics, Dec 2011, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p467-486 Farrelly, Nicholas. ‘Myanmar (Burma) since 1962: The Failure of Development, Progress in Development Studies, Jul2011, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p362-364 Haacke, Jurgen. ‘The Bature and Management of Mynamar’s Alignment With China: The SLORC?SPRD Years’, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 2, 2011. Nyein, Susanne. Expanding Military, Shrinking Citizenry and the New Constitution in Burma’, Journal of Contemporary Asia, 39(4), 2009. Pedersen, Morten. ‘The Politics of Burma’s Democratic Transition: Prospects for Change and Options for Democrats’, Critical Asian Studies, 43(1), 2011, p 49-68. Selth, Andrew. ‘Burma’s Saffron Revolution and the Limits of International Influence’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol.62, No.3, 2008 Shaw, Jeff. ‘Out of Burma’, Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb2004, Vol. 25 Issue 1/2, p17-19 Steinberg, David. Aung San Suu Kyi ‘U.S. Policy Towards Burma/Mynamar’, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 3, 2010. Thawnghmung, Ardeth, Maung. ‘Beyond Armed Resistance: Ethnonational Politics in Burma (Myanma),’ Policy Studies (15471349), 2011, Issue 62, p1-67, 87p Williams, David. ‘Constitutionalism Before Constitutions: Burma's Struggle to Build a New Order, Texas Law Review, Jun2009, Vol. 87 Issue 7, p1657-1693, 37p Read More