Politics of Myanmar
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Politics of Myanmar (Burma) takes place in a framework of an authoritarian dictatorial republic which is controlled by the military (Tatmadaw) in the form of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). A parliamentary government was elected in 1990, but was not convened.
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[edit] Political conditions
Historically, Burma was a monarchy ruled by various dynasties prior to the 1800s. The British colonised Burma in the late 1800s, and it was under the juridstiction of British Raj until 1937. On January 4, 1948, Burma achieved independence from Britain, and became democracy based on the parliamentary system. However, in 1962, a coup d'état took place, and Burma, under the Burmese Way to Socialism and its leader Ne Win, attempted to convert itself into some sort of a socialist-type government. Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current Head of State is Senior General Than Shwe who holds the title of "Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council." His appointed prime minister was Khin Nyunt until 19 October 2004, when he was replaced by Gen. Soe Win. Almost all cabinet offices are held by military officers.
US and European government sanctions against the military government, combined with consumer boycotts and shareholder pressure organized by Free Burma activists, have succeeded in forcing most western corporations to withdraw from Burma. However, some western oil companies remain due to loopholes in the sanctions and Asian businesses continue to invest in Burma, particularly in natural resource extraction. For example, the French oil company Total S.A. and the American oil company Chevron continue to operate the Yadana natural gas pipeline from Burma to Thailand. Total (formerly TotalFinaElf) is the subject of a lawsuit in French and Belgian courts for alleged connections to human rights abuses along the gas pipeline. Before it was acquired by Chevron, Unocal settled a similar lawsuit for a reported multi-million dollar amount. [1]
The United States clothing and shoe industry stopped sourcing from Burma after the U.S. government banned all imports from Burma as part of the "Burmese Freedom and Demcracy Act of 2003. US-led sanctions have been criticized for their adverse effects mainly on the civilian population. However, Burmese democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly credited sanctions for putting pressure on the ruling military regime. [2][3]
The regime is accused of having an appalling human rights record and the human rights situation in the country is a subject of concern for a large number of international organizations.[4] There is no independent judiciary in Myanmar and political opposition to the military government is not tolerated. Internet access is highly restricted.[5] The state uses software-based filtering from US company Fortinet to limit the materials citizens can access on-line, including free email services, free web hosting and most political opposition and pro-democracy pages.[6]
In 1988, protests against economic mismanagement and political oppression were violently repressed; on August 8 of that year, the military opened fire on demonstrators in what has come to be known as the 8888 Uprising. Nonetheless, the 1988 protests paved way for the 1990 elections; these were however invalidated by the military. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose opposition party won 83% of parliamentary seats in a 1990 national election, but who was prevented from becoming prime minister by the military, has earned international praise as an activist for the return of democratic rule to Myanmar. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She has been repeatedly placed under house arrest, although in recent years the regime has been willing to enter into negotiations with her and her party, the National League for Democracy. She was placed under house arrest on May 31, 2003, following an attack on her convoy in northern Myanmar. Her house arrest was extended for yet another year in late November of 2005. Despite a direct appeal by Kofi Annan to Than Shwe and pressure from ASEAN, the Burmese government extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest another year on 27 May 2006.[7]
The junta faces increasing international isolation. Burma's situation was referred to the UN Security Council for the first time in December 2005 for an informal consultation. ASEAN has also stated its frustration with Burma's government. However, China and Russia continue to support the junta.
[edit] Executive branch
| Main office holders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
| Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council | Than Shwe | April 23, 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Soe Win | October 19, 2004 | |
The Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council is both the chief of state and de facto head of government. The council oversees the cabinet, presided by the prime minister.
[edit] Legislative branch
A unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw), in which 492 seats are elected by popular vote in four-year terms, has never convened. The last elections were held May 27, 1990.
| Party | Votes | Seats | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | Seats | |||
| National League for Democracy (NLD) | 7,943,622 | 392 | 58.7 | 79.7 |
| Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) | 222,821 | 23 | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| Minor parties and independents | 1,606,858 | 12 | 12.1 | 2.4 |
| Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) | 160,783 | 11 | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| National Unity Party (NUP) | 2,805,559 | 10 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) | 138,572 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| National Democratic Party for Human Rights | 128,129 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Chin National League for Democracy | 51,187 | 3 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Kachin State National Congress for Democracy | 13,994 | 3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Party for National Democracy | 72,672 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Union Pa-O National Organisation | 35,389 | 3 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Democratic Organisation for Kayah National Unity | 16,553 | 2 | 0.1 | - |
| Kayah State Nationalities League for Democracy | 11,664 | 2 | 0.1 | - |
| Naga Hills Regional Progressive Party | 10,612 | 2 | 0.1 | - |
| Ta-ang (Palaung) National League for Democracy | 16,553 | 2 | 0.1 | - |
| Zomi National Congress (ZNC) | 18,638 | 2 | 0.1 | - |
| Total valid votes (87.7% of total votes cast) | 13,253,606 | 492 | 100.0 | |
| Invalid votes | 1,858,918 | |||
| Valid votes (72.6% turnout) | 15,112,524 | |||
| Eligible voters | 20,818,313 | |||
| Source: Adam Carr with spelling corrections | ||||
[edit] Judicial system
Myanmar's judicial system is limited. British-era laws and legal systems remain much intact, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial. The judiciary is not independent of the executive branch. Myanmar does not accept compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.
[edit] Administrative divisions
Myanmar is divided into 7 divisions and 7 states. States and divisions are classified by ethnic composition. The 7 divisions (taing) are Ayeyarwady Division, Bago Division, Magway Division, Mandalay Division, Sagaing Division, Tanintharyi Division and Yangon Division. The 7 states (pyi-nè) are Chin State, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Mon State, Rakhine State and Shan State.
[edit] International organization participation
AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
[edit] References
- ^ "Dilemma of dealing with Burma", BBC News, 2004-10-20. Retrieved on 2004-11-02.
- ^ "How Best to Rid the World of Monsters", Washington Post, 2003-06-23. Retrieved on 2006-05-24.
- ^ "Reuters Belgian group seeks Total boycott over Myanmar", Ibiblio, Reuters, 1999-05-10. Retrieved on 2006-06-24.
- ^ "Active Citizens under Political Wraps: Experiences from Myanmar/Burma and Vietnam", Heinrich Böll Foundation.
- ^ Times of India article detailing blocking of Google, Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
- ^ "Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study", OpenNet Initiative.
- ^ The Irrawaddy. "Suu Kyi’s Detention Extended, Supporters likely to Protest", The Irrawaddy, 2006-05-27. Retrieved on 2006-05-27.
