Download Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma`s change of heart

East Asia Forum
Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia
and the Pacific
http://www.eastasiaforum.org
Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s change of heart
27th October, 2011
Author: Jacqueline Menager, ANU
Gandhi once said that ‘the spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by
abolition of forms. It requires a change of heart’.
Almost a year since the November 2010 elections, a change of heart in Burma has not been
easy for the country’s democratic icon, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been widely considered the solution to Burma’s ills for more than two
decades. But the lacklustre strategy of her political party, the National League for Democracy
(NLD), and the inadequacy of its policies have both become apparent over the past few years.
Some in the NLD, for example, stubbornly refuse to engage with the military or soften their
stance to promote change. Instead of waiting for Aung San Suu Kyi to lead the way, many of
the NLD’s younger members have split from the party to run as independents, and many
minority ethnic groups also participated in the election. Several of these won seats and joined
the parliament with the victorious military-aligned government [1].
One notable opposition force is the Democratic Party, which was formed in the lead-up to the
2010 elections. The party is headed by Mya Than Than Nu, daughter of U Nu: the country’s
first prime minister, a campaigner for independence and a colleague of Aung San Suu Kyi’s
father, Aung San. She is joined by two other daughters of former political leaders: Nay Yee Ba
Swe, the daughter of late-Prime Minister Ba Swe; and Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, the daughter of
late-Deputy Prime Minister Kyaw Nyein. Their fathers were important democracy and
independence campaigners, rivaling Aung San Suu Kyi for celebrity pedigree and political
credibility.
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East Asia Forum
Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia
and the Pacific
http://www.eastasiaforum.org
In contrast to these enthusiastic newcomers, the NLD presents a tired front. The party
boycotted the elections, dismissing them as undemocratic [2]. The NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi
have been on the back foot since making that decision, relegated to reacting to the new
government — led by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and which has only
increased in power since its election victory. Aung San Suu Kyi’s moment may have passed
and she is scrambling to remain relevant.
Still, a new role is being carved out for Aung San Suu Kyi: utilising her international presence to
bolster support for the new government. Her increased dialogue with the new government has
led to the release of joint statements, alongside a softening of her harsh stance toward
sanctions and the military — and even open praise for President Thein Sein, observing that ‘the
president wants to achieve real positive change’. In response, the US is reconsidering its
stance on Burma, commenting on the improved relations between Aung San Suu Kyi and the
government.
The US can also take encouragement from Burma’s latest challenge to Chinese influence in
the region. President Thein Sein announced the suspension of the Myitsone Dam project in
Kachin State [3] — which commenced without an environmental impact assessment — in late
September 2011, thus trumping the quiet activism of Aung San Suu Kyi. The decision came
after a public campaign to have the dam project cancelled, but at a time when the Chinese had
already invested approximately US$600 million in the controversial project. The suspension
represents two important developments: the government responding to public opinion,
something previously unheard of; and a challenge to Chinese dominance in Burma.
In another encouraging move, the government announced in October 2011 an amnesty for
6300 prisoners to be released in the coming weeks. The government is prioritising prisoners
who are aged, disabled, in bad health or who have served their sentences with good behaviour.
So far, the government has released around 200 — of the estimated 2000 — political prisoners.
But some of the most prominent, including the leaders of the 1988 uprisings, are still behind
bars. Whether the government will release them in the near future remains to be seen, but if the
US and Aung San Suu Kyi continue campaigning, the government may make it a reality.
All these measures signal a change of heart and clarify the shifting political landscape. Perhaps
a time has come where the government is gaining the legitimacy it has long sought,
encouraging greater public support with the dam suspension, and where it is now capitalising on
this new confidence in order to temper Chinese influence in the country. If this trend continues,
and with the government receiving Aung San Suu Kyi’s backing, the wider support of the
population and the power to resist Chinese influence, the future looks brighter than before. But
while the current government remains ascendant, Aung San Suu Kyi and her advisors will need
a deft touch. She is now only one among many important political players.
Jacqueline Menager is a PhD candidate at the College of Asia and the Pacific, the Australian
National University.
Article from the East Asia Forum: http://www.eastasiaforum.org
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East Asia Forum
Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia
and the Pacific
http://www.eastasiaforum.org
URL to article:
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/10/27/aung-san-suu-kyi-and-burma-s-change-of-heart/
[1] military-aligned government:
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/03/08/hope-for-change-as-burmas-new-president-prep
ares-to-take-office/
[2] dismissing them as undemocratic:
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2010/03/30/burmas-national-league-for-democracy-a-fateful
-choice/
[3] Myitsone Dam project in Kachin State:
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2010/08/19/chinese-dam-diplomacy-leadership-and-geopoli
tics-in-continental-asia/
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