A new President was sworn in to office in Myanmar on Wednesday, capping a transition from military dictatorship to the country’s first civilian-led administration in more than half a century.
The previous junta-led government who ran the country’s economy into the ground and brutally suppressed ethnic minorities and political opponents have stepped back, allowing liberalising reforms and new freedoms.
The constitution poses other problems for the new civilian leadership. It enshrines the army’s position in politics — men in fatigues occupy a quarter of the seats in parliament, which gives the commander-in-chief a practical veto over constitutional amendments.
But there is plenty else for the new government to do–
A broken economy
Myanmar is predicted to see healthy GDP growth of 8.4% in the year up to March 2017. But years of mismanagement and economic sanctions have taken their toll. The road and rail networks are past crumbling and major cities still suffer frequent power outages. The Asian Development Bank estimates the necessary upgrades will cost $60bn through 2030. Barriers to investment also include land-grabbing concerns, poorly enforced employment standards, rampant child labor, and an economy dominated by cronies of the former military regime and companies under the control of the defence ministry.
A failed cease-fire
The country also remains at war — with itself. Since independence from Britain, armed groups avowing to represent the interests of ethnic minorities (and, earlier, communists) have been taking up arms against Myanmar’s central government. A cease-fire signed last year failed to include the groups who still control territory along the border with China. Fighting in the country’s northeast has ramped up since it was signed, and the federal system of government demanded by minorities appears a long way off. On top of numerous allegations of abuses by the armed forces, videos have emerged on social media in recent weeks seemingly showing soldiers beating civilians they suspect of being linked to an ethnic armed group. Again, the new administration is unlikely to be able to do much about this since defence minister is still a military appointee.
The Golden Triangle
Then there’s Myanmar’s narcotics problem, which is not unrelated to the ongoing conflict. The drug trade flourishes in the unruly, mountainous area known as the Golden Triangle, bordering Thailand, China and Laos. Myanmar ranks as the No 2 source of the world’s opium — after Afghanistan — with the military, proxy armies and rebel armed groups all thought to make money from the crop, which feeds demand for heroin in China. Myanmar is also a production hub for synthetic drugs like amphetamine.
Rohingya issue
Successive Myanmar governments have enacted discriminatory policies against the Rohingya, numbering just over 1m, who are restricted to run-down camps or villages penned in by checkpoints in the Rakhine state. Former President Thein Sein on Tuesday lifted a state of emergency in the state, almost four years after clashes that saw scores of people killed and tens of thousands displaced. But Myanmar doesn’t recognise the Rohingya as its citizens, contending that they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh — a view widely supported among the population.
Inherited oppression
A recent Amnesty International report charts how Myanmar’s previous government held highly visible mass releases of political prisoners — more than 1,100 people have been freed since 2011 — only to begin locking up a new generation of activists simply for taking part in demonstrations over issues like education reform and land confiscation. A government led by a former prisoner of conscience, Suu Kyi, takes power with at least 90 people — including students, journalists and Facebook users — currently behind bars for expressing political views. The new President can hold his own prisoner amnesties, but with the military retaining control over the police, there is concern over “how and to what extent will the NLD-led government be able to break this cycle of politically motivated, arbitrary arrests.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
