Description:
I. OVERVIEW:
"The November 2010 elections in Myanmar were not free
and fair and the country has not escaped authoritarian rule.
Predictably, in such a tightly controlled poll, the regime?s
own Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)
won a landslide victory leaving the military elite still in
control. Together with the quarter of legislative seats reserved
for soldiers, this means there will be little political
space for opposition members in parliament. The new
government that has been formed, and which will assume
power in the coming weeks, also reflects the continued
dominance of the old order with the president and one of
the two vice presidents drawn from its ranks and a number
of cabinet ministers recycled.
Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to conclude that nothing
has changed. The top two leaders of the former military
regime have stepped aside, and a new generation has
taken over. A new constitution has come into force, which
fundamentally reshapes the political landscape, albeit in a
way that ensures the continued influence of the military.
A number of technocrats have been brought into the cabinet,
and at the local level ethnic groups now have at least
some say in the governance of their affairs.
These changes are unlikely to translate into dramatic reforms
in the short term, but they provide a new governance
context, improving the prospects for incremental reform.
This moment of relative change in a situation that
has been deadlocked for twenty years provides a chance
for the international community to encourage the government
to move in the direction of greater openness and reform.
But this opportunity can only be seized if the West
changes its failed policies of sanctions and isolation. These
policies are counterproductive: they have a negative impact
on the population and on the prospects for dialogue
and reconciliation – and by reinforcing the siege mentality
of Myanmar?s leadership, they undermine the chances that
the new generation of leaders will break with the isolationist
and authoritarian direction of the previous regime.
Improved policies must start with the recognition that
sanctions have had counterproductive effects and caused
ordinary people to suffer, and have impeded the country?s
development. To redress this, restrictions on development
assistance should be immediately lifted and levels of aid
increased. Restrictions on technical assistance from international
financial institutions should also be removed. These
bodies should be encouraged to work on pressing concerns
such as poverty alleviation, social and economic policy
reform, education, and capacity building. Restrictions that
hold back the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and other UN agencies should be lifted. Broadbased
economic sanctions such as those imposed by the
U.S. on imports and the EU?s denial of trade privileges
should also go.
A new approach urgently needs to be adopted, one that
provides much greater support for Myanmar?s people and
for the socio-economic reforms that are essential for improving
their lives, while convincing the leadership that a
renormalisation of relations with the West is possible if
they embark on a process of significant political reform.
In its reporting over recent years, Crisis Group has set out
some of the elements of such an approach: structured regional
and international engagement; a normalisation of aid
relations; opportunities to promote reform and greater openness
at a key moment of political transition; and giving
greater priority to peaceful resolution of the ethnic issue."
Source/publisher:
International Crisis Group (Asia Briefing N? 118)
Date of Publication:
2011-03-07
Date of entry:
2011-03-07
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English, Burmese
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