Global Feminism

The Backbone of an Opposition

If you asked a typical student to locate Myanmar/Burma on a globe, they probably wouldn’t be able to find it. If we’re lucky, they might actually recognize it as a nation. I know myself personally would have been hard-pressed before this week to do more than vaguely point towards Asia, mumbling incoherently before changing the subject. However, Myanmar has been in the news in the past few days. Specifically, the actions of the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy have garnered international attention.

Suu Kyi, leading the charge, and her party members refuse to take the oath required of them to assume their hard won seats in the National Assembly. What’s their problem? It’s a small phrase, calling for the parliamentarians to “protect” the constitution. Suu Kyi wants it to be shifted to “abide by.” [1]

The members of the National League for Democracy advocate for constitutional reform. Suu Kyi notes the inconsistencies in the wording of the document, election law, and party regulations. “There have to be consistencies when it comes to law,” she said.[2]

This is the latest development in a whirlwind of events since the most recent elections on April 1^st for the country, where 44 seats were up for grabs. Of the 44 available, Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy won 43 of them. This landslide victory was seen by many in the world to be the first signs of democracy in a country that has been dominated for decades with a repressive military regime.[3]

The National League for Democracy asserts that the constitution is a document, “of the army, by the army, for the army.”[4] The constitution guarantees 25% of the seats in the National Assembly for the army, requires the president to have ‘military knowledge,’ all aspects of the armed forces are beyond civilian control, and the army commander has the power to overrule the president and “exercise state sovereignty.”[5] These are a terrifying array of powers that lend themselves easily to being manipulated or used for less than noble purposes.

Party officials have played down the tension between the opposition and the establishment, repeatedly stating that they expect the National League for Democracy lawmakers to return to parliament soon.[6] Their seemingly easygoing nature concerning this disruption makes sense when considered in a larger picture. Since the April 1^st elections, and the sweeping victories from the National League for Democracy, Western governments are removing sanctions from Myanmar left and right. Both America and Australia have eased on some sanctions, Japan waived billions in debt arrears. Perhaps most telling of all was the European Union lifting all sanctions on the nation for a year (beginning on April 23^rd, 2012), save for an arms embargo.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s involvement in this surge of reform is not to be ignored. As the daughter of the liberation hero of Myanmar, her charisma and prowess at politics are huge assets for the National League for Democracy.[7] The weight of such expectations are not easy on the aging Suu Kyi, though. At the end of March, Suu Kyi was forced to break from campaigning, after going through a second collapse within months.[8]

Many eyes are going to be watching the developing events in Myanmar, as the actions of the next few weeks will likely determine the country’s fate on the global level. We can be assured that whatever the course, Aung San Suu Kyi will be in the midst of the action, guiding her party to affect the most positive change that can be managed in such a restrictive situation.

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