Myanmar’s Democratic Backslide Results in Military Coup

Protesters in New Dheli, India show solidarity with the people of Myanmar who are currently fighting a military coup against incubment State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Source.

The military coup d’état on February 1st comes after a sordid decade of politics in Myanmar. Tens of thousands of people protested in Myanmar last week after the military staged a coup on the pretense of an ignored fraudulent election. Protesters wore the colors of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party and used symbols such as the three-finger salute, from The Hunger Games, marching against the military takeover over the government.

Following the independence of Myanmar (also known as Burma) in 1948, the military ousted the first Prime Minister in 1962 and ruled until 2011. In this time, the NLD party won elections in 1990 and 2010 but were met with claims of fraudulence by the military party. In 2012, partly-free elections happened and resulted in the dismantling of military governance. However, in the most recent elections, in which the NLD party won by a landslide, the military-backed opposition party went to the Supreme Court claiming there had been a fraudulent election. The Supreme Court ruled the elections were fair, so the military-backed political party put in place a one-year state of emergency, meaning military rule. Myanmar is one of many countries currently experiencing democratic backsliding, a political science term used to explain the worsening quality of democracy in a given country. 

Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of the NDL and a key person in the fight for democracy in Myanmar has been an international icon. Suu Kyi is the daughter of General Aung San, a well-known fighter for Myanmar’s independence in 1948. Her life has consisted of politics and activism, including the blockage of her presidency despite winning the election, countless years on house arrest, a Nobel Peace prize, and her continued participation in politics. Though she has recently received heavy criticism for her poor response to the Rohingya Muslim Genocide in Myanmar, many protestors stated they believed she was the country’s only hope. 

This week, Suu Kyi, along with 24 other ministers and deputies of the NLD, were placed under house arrest in a raid, and 11 of the positions have already been filled by members of the military-backed opposition party. The new president is Min Aung Hlaing. The reason for the coup, from the opposition, is that the election was fraudulent, though no election commissioner has backed this statement up. The takeover happened during the scheduled first week of Parliament, which, if held, would cement the NLD majority. 

Protesters were on their third day Monday when Hlaing made his first public appearance. Instead of focusing on consequences for protestors, he described the changes he would make to the rulings from the previous 49 years of military rule. He encouraged citizens to "go with the true facts and not to follow feelings of your own" and called for a “true and disciplined democracy” in his speech. This message followed a TV broadcast announcing that action must be taken against those disrupting the law. 

In addition to taking over the government, the opposition has significantly disrupted internet access, closed banks, and instigated lockdowns in the country. Starting with a nationwide blackout on Sunday, the connectivity ratings dropped by 50% in time for the country to wake up and learn about the takeover Monday morning. State media and news sources were cut off, as well as local phone and internet lines across the country. By Wednesday, the military also blocked access to Facebook, the platform many were using to organize against the coup, resulting in a 4,300% increase in the demand for a VPN, or a service that makes the location of a device unidentifiable. 

Many world leaders are denouncing the actions of the military in Myanmar, including the United Nations, including a pledge from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to do everything he can to reverse the coup. U.S. President Joe Biden has threatened to replace sanctions on Myanmar that have been removed over the last decade. While it is difficult to predict what will happen, some outlets are speculating that this was a long term political move by the opposition to gain support. The mass numbers of protestors prove this will not garner any new support or popularity. This coup will certainly affect the economy that is already struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, either because of sanctions or foreign sanctions. This was not the right move toward a more democratic society, as citizens will continue to suffer at the hands of the military party.