Democracy struggle in Burma / Myanmar

waltky · Mar 10, 2016

Presidency is not where the real power is in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi will not become Myanmar's next president
10 Mar.`16 — It's now official, Myanmar's most famous politician and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will not become the country's next president.

The National League for Democracy party, which won November general elections by a landslide, nominated two Suu Kyi loyalists to contest the president's post Thursday. They are 70-year-old Oxford graduate Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Hti Yu, an ethnic Chin minority and upper house NLD lawmaker. One of them is certain to become the next president and the other will become a vice president. And a military-backed candidate who has not yet been announced will likely become the country's other vice president. The outgoing ruling party, the USDP, also nominated two candidates but the Suu Kyi loyalists are assured of a victory when the joint chambers vote later this month. The new government takes power April 1. It will be the first freely elected government after more than 50 years of military rule followed by a quasi-civilian government for the past five years.

National League for Democracy party (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 68th anniversary of Independence in Yangon, Myanmar. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi’s decades-long battle to bring democracy to Myanmar is likely to come to fruition on Thursday, March 10 with a whimper, not a bang. Despite leading her National League for Democracy party to a smashing election victory, Suu Kyi seems certain not to become her country's leader. Suu Kyi, 70, cannot be president because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband.

Despite massive popular support, the 70-year-old Suu Kyi is blocked from the presidency because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or children from holding the executive office. Suu Kyi's two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with her in mind. But Suu Kyi has said she will be the real center of power and run the government from behind the scenes. Kyaw Thiha, an upper house NLD lawmaker, said Thursday that the new president will take orders from Suu Kyi. "She cannot become the president, but it doesn't really matter because she will be controlling everything. She will be the one to control us," Kyaw Thiha said. "It doesn't really matter that she is not becoming the president."

Aung San Suu Kyi will not become Myanmar's next president
Click to expand...

See also:

Aung San Suu Kyi: Power not presidency in Myanmar
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 - Aung San Suu Kyi won't become president of Myanmar, but she she has tightened her grip on political power nonetheless, says Jonah Fisher.

But as parliament puts forward its nominations for the top job, the situation is clear: there will be no last-minute deal, no President Suu Kyi. Those expecting a Nelson Mandela ending to this incredible story will be disappointed. But for Suu Kyi and her many supporters little has actually been lost. This anticlimactic outcome strengthens her politically and diminishes the military in the eyes of the Burmese people. The generals' inflexibility, in the face of a huge popular mandate, has set the tone for what looks likely to be a period of confrontation between them and the newly elected democrats.

It was in November last year that Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), swept the board in the long-awaited general election. The NLD won nearly 80% of the contested seats and everyone, even the army, agreed that the Burmese people had not just voted for change, they had voted for Suu Kyi to lead. Emboldened by the result, the former political prisoner reached out to her long-time adversaries. In the past four months she has held three meetings with Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. Suu Kyi was exploring the possibility of a grand deal.

What the NLD leader needed was the army's approval for a legally dubious move. She wanted parliament to temporarily suspend the part of the constitution that bars her from becoming president. Clause 59F famously disqualifies anyone whose spouse, children, and even spouses of children, have foreign passports. Suu Kyi's two children by Oxford academic Michael Aris are British. Supporters of the clause say it protects the country's sovereignty, but many believe it was drafted by the military to close the door on Suu Kyi. To open that door, the Burmese army would have demanded concessions.

That could have meant giving the military the right to choose the chief ministers of several states, and securing promises that the army's many business interests would be left alone. Most importantly, the military is almost certain to have insisted that attempts to chip away at its political power be put on the back burner. So beneath the feel-good headline of "President Suu Kyi", the army would have consolidated its political role. It's not clear why the grand deal didn't happen. Perhaps the army just couldn't stomach the idea, or maybe Suu Kyi refused to concede enough. For whatever reason, the talks broke down.

New landscape
Click to expand...

Related:

Myanmar's NLD names Suu Kyi confidant as presidential candidate
Thu Mar 10, 2016 - Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) has proposed a close friend of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as its presidential candidate, ending a four-month wait for the identity of a president expected to rule in her name.

The NLD put forward Htin Kyaw, who joined the party just two months ago, as its lower house candidate. He runs a charity founded by Suu Kyi and has been close to her since the mid-1990s. The wildly popular Suu Kyi and the NLD won a crushing electoral victory in November, but she is barred from holding the presidency under a junta-drafted 2008 constitution because her children are not Myanmar citizens. Suu Kyi has said that she would run the country regardless through a proxy. Until Thursday, she and the NLD leadership had kept the identity of their nominee a closely guarded secret even from rank-and-file MPs.

Central executive committee member of the National League for Democracy U Htin Kyaw arrives for the opening of the new parliament in Naypyitaw

In a statement on Thursday, before the nomination was revealed, Suu Kyi urged patience from her supporters. "I would like to appeal for people to support and stand by the NLD with wisdom and far-sightedness," she said. "The NLD is determined to meet people's expectations and will do its best." The NLD's huge parliamentary majority means the candidate it backs as president is almost certain to take the top job.

The NLD also nominated Henry Vantriu, a member of the Chin ethnic group who hail from Chin state in the country's northwest bordering India and Bangladesh, as its presidential candidate for the upper house. The NLD had been widely expected to name a candidate from an ethnic minority from the upper house who would become a vice president, in line with Suu Kyi's goal of forming a government for national reconciliation.

INDIRECT ELECTION
Click to expand...

JoakimFlorence · Mar 10, 2016

All the real power is still in the hands of military officials. Even if Ang Suu Kyi's party held all the seats in Parliament, the military could just ignore whichever of the laws they wanted to, or even dissolve the Parliament altogether. Though by law the President is the executive, in actuality the office of President by itself holds very little real power, whatever the military will allow. The President does not have the capability to carry out his will in the face of military opposition. This just demonstrates the vacuity of a democratic body without the structural means to enforce its premier power.

waltky · Mar 15, 2016

Keeping Suu Kyi out of the running...

Is Myanmar's New President Just a Puppet for Suu Kyi?
Mar 15, 2016 - Myanmar's parliament on Tuesday elects a new president as the head of the country's first democratically elected government, but it won't be Aung San Suu Kyi, the face of the country's decades-long struggle against military rule. Here's why:

WHAT PREVENTED SUU KYI?

The military has been in power in this Southeast Asian nation since 1962. Faced with unrelenting international pressure, which boosted a non-violent campaign for democracy led by Suu Kyi that won her the Nobel peace prize, the junta began to pave the way toward a civilian government in 2011. But such was the antipathy of some generals toward Suu Kyi that they inserted a clause in the constitution to stymie her. The clause forbids anyone with a foreign spouse or children from becoming president. Suu Kyi's late husband and her two sons are British.

WHAT DID SUU KYI DO?

Her National League for Democracy party won the Nov. 8 parliamentary elections by a landslide. At that point she had still hoped to convince the generals to allow the constitutional clause to be scrapped. The military, for which a quarter of parliament seats are reserved in parliament, refused to relent during several rounds of negotiations with her. So the NLD had to nominate someone else to contest the election for president, who is chosen by members of parliament.

WHO DID SHE CHOOSE?

Foreseeing such an eventuality, Suu Kyi told the media before and after the election that she would be the real power in the government, and whoever becomes president would do her bidding. While her statement may sound undemocratic, she could argue that she was only reflecting the will of the people who voted for the party because of her. So she chose a trusted friend she has known for more than 60 years, a confidant who has been by her side for decades and an astute adviser all these years: Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old former computer programmer and bureaucrat.

WHAT ARE THE PITFALLS?

Experts say that Suu Kyi's position on being the real power will ensure that Htin Kyaw will be seen as a seat warmer, and therefore an easy target for military leaders keen to reassert control. It gives him little clout in making policy decisions, even among his own colleagues. Experts also warn that it is possible foreign leaders and governments will bypass him and go directly to Suu Kyi, making him less relevant.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/myanmars-president-puppet-suu-kyi-37648806
Click to expand...

waltky · Mar 15, 2016

First civilian President of Myanmar elected...

Suu Kyi confidant elected as first civilian president of Myanmar
Wednesday 16th March, 2016 - Myanmar Htin Kyaw, a close confidant of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, was on Tuesday elected as the first civilian president of Myanmar after nearly 54 years of military rule in the largely Buddhist South East nation.

The 69-year-old politician was last week chosen by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party as its presidential candidate after a landslide victory in the November 8 general elections that followed decades of often repressive rule by Myanmar's generals. Since Suu Kyi, the NLD chief, was married to a foreign national and has two sons with British passports, she is constitutionally barred from becoming the country's president. Suu Kyi has been the face of the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar and has battled decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers without ever giving up on her non-violent campaign to unseat them. However, she has made it clear that she will be calling the shots in the new government even though she won't be occupying any constitutional post to run the country.

Htin Kyaw, who was hardly known to people outside Myanmar, was chosen in the joint session of the two houses of parliament on Tuesday. The parliament broke into thundering applause as the speaker Mann Win Khaing Than announced the result. "I hereby announce the president of Myanmar is Htin Kyaw, as he won the majority of votes." Htin Kyaw secured 360 votes from among 652 ballots cast in the bicameral parliament. "This is a victory for the people of this country," the president-elect said in a brief comment to reporters.

The military's nominee, Myint Swe, won 213 votes and will become the first vice president. Htin Kyaw's running mate from the National League for Democracy party, Henry Van Tio, won 79 votes and will take the post of second vice president. "We are very satisfied with the result of the presidential election," said Tun Win, a legislator from the Arakan National Party. "He really should be the leader. I hope he can lead this country to peace and stability, equality and implement the rule of law in this country."

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/...lected-as-first-civilian-president-of-myanmar
Click to expand...

waltky · Mar 28, 2016

The more things change - the more they remain the same...

Myanmar army reasserts its key political role ahead of transition
Sun Mar 27, 2016 - Myanmar's armed forces commander-in-chief stressed on Sunday the need for the military to remain a political force just days before a democratically elected government is set to take power for the first time in 56 years.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, making an Armed Forces Day speech from a podium dwarfed by a towering statue of Myanmars three ancient kings in the capital, Naypyitaw, reasserted the military's belief that it is the countrys sole unifying force and protector of the constitution. Though the military had "cooperated with the government and the people", to hold a historic general election in November, that was won by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it was not yet time to step away from the political arena, he said. "The Tatmadaw has to be present as the leading role in national politics with regards to the ways we stand along the history and the critical situations of the country," Min Aung Hlaing said, referring to the armed forces by their Myanmar name.

The military seized power in a 1962 coup and for decades suppressed all opposition. But it stepped back in 2011, paving the way for a semi-civilian government to prepare for November's election. But it retains important powers. More than 10,000 military personnel marched in a parade marking the day in 1945 when a young nationalist leader, General Aung San, and his followers in a fledgling army turned against Japanese forces occupying their country. Hundreds of veterans, foreign defense attaches and politicians gathered before dawn on a big parade field to watch the ceremony.

But conspicuously absent was Aung San's daughter, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Suu Kyi. She attended the ceremony in 2013 but has not since then. Also absent was president-elect Htin Kyaw, Suu Kyi's hand-picked leader who will take power on Friday. Htin Kyaw, a loyal confidant of the hugely popular Suu Kyi, will take the role only because the Noble laureate is barred from holding the position under a military-drafted constitution, which she has openly criticized.

Min Aung Hlaing defended the charter on Sunday, saying it was drafted by coordinated efforts of intellectuals, experts from various fields and national races representatives and was ratified by a nationwide referendum, and paved the way for the November election. The 2008 constitution enshrines deep political powers for the military. A quarter of the parliament seats are reserved for unelected military officers, giving them an effective veto over constitutional changes, and the commander-in-chief remains in control of three key main ministries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-military-idUSKCN0WT05N
Click to expand...

waltky · Mar 31, 2016

Democratically elected Myanmar President sworn in...

Myanmar takes big step toward democracy
March 30, 2016 - New civilian president sworn in, military rule ends

Myanmars slow transition to democracy took a momentous step Wednesday as a trusted aide to ruling-party leader Aung San Suu Kyi took over as the countrys president, officially ending more than 50 years of the militarys control over government. In a day full of ceremony and symbolism, Htin Kyaw was sworn in along with his two vice presidents and 18 Cabinet ministers. Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate and face of Myanmars pro-democracy movement, takes on a prominent role as the countrys new foreign minister and the head of three other ministries education, energy and the presidential office. The Union Parliament has elected me as president, which is a historic moment for this country, Htin Kyaw, 70, said in a speech after being sworn in. He pledged to work toward national reconciliation, strive for peace with warring ethnic rebels and improve the lives of Myanmars 54 million people.

While it was a historic day for the impoverished Southeast Asian country, democracy remains incomplete. The military retains considerable power in the government and parliament, and the president himself will play second fiddle to Suu Kyi. She cannot be president because of a constitutional manipulation engineered by the military, and has repeatedly said she will run the country from behind the scenes. I am very happy that we have a president who represents people, said Mar Thin, a 50-year-old street cleaner. She said she used to own 70 acres of land that she and her sister inherited from their father before the military kicked them out and appropriated the land for the defense ministry. I hope that the new government can solve the land-confiscation problem and let us own our land as farmers. All we want is enough food, and to live without fear. I hope that President Htin Kyaw will do that for us because Daw Suu promised us a lot of things, and we love her, too, Mar Thin said, using an affectionate term for Suu Kyi.

National League for Democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in blue, second right, takes oaths with other lawmakers as a cabinet minister Wednesday at parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanma. Htin Kyaw, a trusted friend of Suu Kyi, took over as Myanmar's president.

U.S. President Barack Obama noted the continuing challenges for Myanmar, also known as Burma, in a statement in which he called Htin Kyaws election a historic milestone in the countrys transition to a democratically elected, civilian-led government. Burma will face significant challenges going forward, including achieving broad-based economic development, advancing national reconciliation, and promoting the rights and freedoms of all its people, Obama said. The United States looks forward to being a friend and partner of the new government and the people of Burma as they make progress toward building a more inclusive, peaceful and prosperous future.

Htin Kyaws swearing-in was held in an austere hall of parliament, with lawmakers dressed in traditional costume. A few hours later, outgoing President Thein Sein shook hands with his successor and handed him a letter and a golden sash, officially transferring power. It was Suu Kyi who led her National League for Democracy party to a landslide win in November elections, ushering in Myanmars first civilian government after 54 years of direct and indirect military rule. Suu Kyi endured decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers without ever giving up on her nonviolent campaign to unseat them. The constitutional clause that denied her the presidency excludes anyone from the position who has a foreign spouse or child. Suu Kyis two sons are British, as was her late husband. The clause is widely seen as having been written by the military with Suu Kyi in mind.

MORE
Click to expand...

See also:

Myanmar swears in first president with no army ties in 54 years
Mar. 30, 2016 - Members of Aung San Suu Kyis victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears on Wednesday as Myanmar swore in its first president with no military ties in more than half a century.

Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, was hand-picked by her to run Myanmars government because a constitution drafted by the former junta bars the democracy champion from the top office. In a short address to the chamber, Htin Kyaw reiterated Suu Kyis stance on the importance of changing the 2008 charter, which entrenches the militarys powerful position in politics, and called for national reconciliation.

NLD lawmakers were emotional at the scale of the achievement after decades of struggle, including years when many of them were jailed or, like Suu Kyi herself, put under house arrest. I couldnt sleep last night. Our president U Htin Kyaws speech is something we have never heard before in the country, NLD lawmaker Thiri Yadana, 28, said. He promised that he will work for the country with the respect to our leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Its such a big step and this has happened because everybody pushed together forward.

Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmars most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962. Our new government will implement national reconciliation, peace in the country, emergence of a constitution that will pave the way to a democratic union, and enhance the living standard of the people, said Htin Kyaw, sporting the NLDs traditional burnt orange jacket. We have the duty to work for the emergence of a constitution that is appropriate for our country and also in accordance with democratic standards.

Tension had simmered in the run-up to the November election and as the NLD prepared to take power. Suu Kyi wants to demilitarize Myanmars politics but effectively needs the support of the military to do so. The armed forces are guaranteed three ministries and control a quarter of parliamentary seats enough to give them a veto over constitutional amendments and potentially limit the scope of Suu Kyis reforms. Suu Kyi is poised to steer the government from within, acting as a super-minister overseeing education, foreign affairs, electric power and energy and the presidents office.

MORE
Click to expand...

waltky · Apr 9, 2016

Myanmar political prisoners freed...

Big win for human rights in Myanmar, political prisoners, activists freed
Sunday 10th April, 2016 - Authorities in Myanmar have released 69 student activists along with several other political prisoners who were jailed for more than a year without any trial.

Announcing the release, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that 113 political detainees were freed across the country. The student activists were reportedly imprisoned after protesting against the education policy and demanding new reforms in the academic department on March 2015. Tharrawaddy Township Judge Chit Myat made the announcement of release a day after an amnesty request by the nation’s de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “In this time of the Burmese New Year, we will release political prisoners and activists and students who are facing charges as soon as possible,” said the nation’s leader a day before the release.

The previous government led by military power or junta in 2011 put Suu Kyi under house arrest and hundreds of her supporters and other critics were jailed. Suu Kyi holds the post of state counselor, a specially created position. She is the de facto head of government as Myanmar’s army drafted constitution does not allow her to be the president as her sons acquires British citizenship. She then declared to run the government by being “above the president” after her party’s approval.

Free at last, free at last - thanks God Almighty we's free at last!

The release comes ahead of the Burmese traditional New Year and a step towards human rights in Myanmar and also Suu Kyi’s first official act as the government. The human activists applauded the move pronouncing it as a delightful moment and a giant step towards the human rights in Myanmar. “Today’s release of most of the student protesters is a huge step forward for human rights in Myanmar, and we are delighted that these men and women will walk free. It sends a strong message about the new government’s intention to end the cycle of political arrest and detention in Myanmar,” said Myanmar researcher for human rights group Amnesty International, Laura Haigh.

Amnesty International (AI) had said in March 2015 that Myanmar’s new government has been presented with a historic opportunity to change course on human rights. The same month, the country released 46 underage child recruits from the military as part of a UN joint action plan.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/...n-myanmar-political-prisoners-activists-freed
Click to expand...

waltky · Oct 4, 2016

Myanmar dumps gov't. emergency law...

Myanmar scraps stringent emergency law
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 - Myanmar abolishes a stringent law which had been used by the former military leaders to silence its opponents.

The Emergency Provisions Act was introduced in 1950 after independence from Britain. It allowed the authorities to detain people without charge and prescribed jail or execution for a wide range of offences considered treason. It allowed punishments of up to seven years for crimes like disrupting public morality or spreading false news.

MPs on the steps of Myanmar parliament

The National League for Democracy (NLD), which swept to power in Myanmar earlier this year ending decades of military rule, had been trying to get rid of the law. "This law was used by the socialist dictatorship to arrest anyone who went against them," said Tun Tun Hein, chairman of the parliament's bill committee. "Now we have abolished it because we have a people's government," he told Reuters.

But the move faced opposition from from some of the military, which still holds a mandatory 25% of seats in parliament and who argued the law was still necessary for national security.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37559350
Click to expand...

waltky · Jul 3, 2017

Freedom of the press 'under threat' in new Myanmar...

Press freedom 'under threat' in new Myanmar
Mon, 03 Jul 2017: Three reporters charged under colonial-era law in latest case to spark outcry in media community.

Under the military junta that ruled Myanmar for nearly 50 years, the media were tightly controlled. But after a quasi-civilian government took over in 2011, many curbs were lifted and a rigid censorship regime abolished. Journalists were among masses of political prisoners released, and media outlets mushroomed to serve a highly literate population that had been starved of independent news. When the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Laureate kept under house arrest for years because of her democratic activism, won historic elections in 2015, many expected more media freedom would follow.

"Using the archaic Unlawful Associations Act to incarcerate journalists is an affront to democracy in Myanmar," says the Committee to Protect Journalists

But journalists and press freedom advocates are alarmed by what they say is an increasingly heavy-handed approach, especially on matters of sensitivity to the military, which retains significant power. The latest case involves three journalists arrested by the military on 26 June after watching the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), a rebel group, burn drugs in north-eastern Shan State. Aye Nai, 53, and Pyae Phone Naing, 24, report for the Democratic Voice of Burma broadcaster, while Lawi Weng, 38, works for The Irrawaddy news magazine and website. Both outlets were run by exiles who fled during the junta era to report on abuses in the then pariah state, and who returned home after reforms in 2012.

Kyaw Min Swe, editor of The Voice, has had several bail requests rejected

The trio were handed to police and charged under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act for having alleged contact with the TNLA, which the army has recently been clashing with and describes as a "terrorist" group. They could face up to three years in prison, and a close aide of Ms Suu Kyi has defended the charges. "It's true that they broke the law by going to meet ethnic groups," Win Htein, a former political prisoner, said.[ Yet the case has caused uproar because many journalists have met TNLA rebels without facing prosecution, and the group came into direct contact with reporters and officials when it attended peace talks in May in the capital, Naypyitaw.

'Climate of fear'
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Democracy struggle in Burma / Myanmar

waltky Well-Known Member

JoakimFlorence Banned

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Democracy struggle in Burma / Myanmar

waltky Well-Known Member

JoakimFlorence Banned

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches