Myanmar lessons and independence

Many Sri Lankans woke up this week to the news of a military coup in Myanmar. The event, which coincidentally comes the same week Sri Lanka is celebrating its 73rd Independence Day, is a timely reminder of why democratic institutions need to be protected for a free and just society to exist.  

The political environment in Myanmar has been deteriorating for several weeks. The results of an 8 November general election, which saw the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), linked to well-known Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi win over 80% of the vote, was rejected by the military that has alleged millions of instances of election fraud. 

The military’s takeover of power and imposition of emergency rule for an entire year is viewed as a death knell to the fledgling democracy of Myanmar that had emerged after the military agreed to a power sharing mechanism in 2011. The takeover sets the stage for increased tensions not just in Myanmar but also across the region with US and China influence likely to be a key element in shaping the outcome of that country’s political future.

Interestingly Myanmar achieved independence just one month before Sri Lanka, on 4 January 1948, but the landmark event had little impact in healing the country’s deep religious and ethnic divides. An early attempt to establish unity between the different ethnic communities by Independence leader Aung San fell apart with his assassination and political unrest eventually resulted in a coup in 1962. Subsequently political chaos paved the way for a nationalist government to emerge in Myanmar that focused on socialism and furthering the interests of the Bamar majority. 

In 1988 social, political and civil unrests saw the military junta come to power and increased the isolationism of Myanmar. The junta has been accused of forcefully removing people from their lands and mistreating minorities, issues that did not diminish even after a semi-civilian Government was established in 2011. The military still retained vast amounts of influence politically and economically, including the capacity to exploit the country’s significant wealth of minerals and other natural resources. 

Fast forward to 2021 and the hope with which Myanmar’s democracy was ushered in a decade ago appears more under threat than ever-before. Sri Lanka has also had to deal with a myriad of challenges since gaining Independence but for over seven decades has managed to hang on to its, albeit battered, democracy, earning a position as one of the oldest democracies in Asia. 

At the risk of engaging in the often dangerous game of comparison and generalisation, Sri Lanka has to consider three lessons: protect and strengthen democratic institutions, guard against creeping militarisation and work to live in peace with its minorities. As the days tick down to Sri Lanka’s Independence Day these are three goals that should remain at the forefront because it is the best path for this country to aspire to a peaceful and just society. 

Even with 73 years of democracy under its belt Sri Lanka cannot afford to be complacent regarding the importance of maintaining balance of power, legitimacy of elections, protecting citizens’ rights and maintaining rule of law. If these foundations of democracy are weakened or swept away all of Sri Lanka will be poorer for it.