Dr Md Shairul Mashreque :
Military has seized power n in Myanmar overtaking Aung San Suu Kyi on 2nd February 2021. As per reports, the army alleges the recent landslide election won by Ms Suu Kyi’s party was marred by fraud. Suu Kyi urged supporters to “protest against the coup”. In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, she said the military’s actions would put the country back under a dictatorship. The military has already announced replacements for a number of ministers. The leader of Myanmar’s civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, was taken into custody in a raid on 2nd February 2021. The army says it had taken control of the country and declared a state of emergency that will last for a year. To cite Wikipedia, Military rule in Myanmar lasted from 1962 to 2011 and resumed in 2021. Myanmar gained its independence from the British Empire in 1948 under the Burmese Independence Army, as a democratic nation The first military rule began in 1958 and direct military rule started when Nee Win captured power through a coup d’état in 1962. Burma became a military dictatorship under the Burma Socialist Programme Party that lasted for 26 years, under the claim to save the country from disintegration. During this period there was some democratic landscape in the form of giving rights to the citizen to elect and to stand for election.
Since its struggle for independence, the armed forces played an important role in gaining independence and it was under the Burmese Independence Army that Myanmar got its independence. The Army in Myanmar had gained respect in independent Myanmar at the initial stage and perceived as protector of the country. The military claims itself as the founder of the Union of Burma, and the main force that held the country together during the civil war and also claimed that it has prevented the country from disintegrating.
After the independent, a constitutional government was formed and U Nu was nominated as the first Prime Minister of Independent Myanmar. However the newly formed civilian government under U Nu, failed to maintain the unity of the country facing with domestic problems, ethnic issues, insurgency, corruption, mismanagement, and the ethnic insurgencies which took up arms against each other in 1958-60, the caretaker government under General Ne Win was formed. The caretaker government initially appeared to be interested in building state capacity. It reduced corruption, improved bureaucratic efficiency, and managed to deal with the pocket armies. Military junta announced to held election in 1960.
After the election in 1960, U Nu party formed a civilian government. But the civilian government under U Nu could not solve and improve the situation rather threat the national integration of the country leading to the coup on March 2, 1962 under General Ne Win. The main reasons for the coup were a mix of political infighting, policy gridlock, multiple insurgencies on a massive scale, and a declining economy. After the coup, the military government arrest members of the government, suspended the constitution and appoint a Union Revolutionary Council (RC) to Govern Myanmar by decree.
The coup on 2 March 1962 led to the end of democratic form of government and the beginning of direct military rule in Myanmar up to 1974. During the period of military rule under General Ne Win, the country was shaped into one-party socialist state under the army led party called as Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) till 1988. And the year from 1962 to 1988 can be marked as the era of Ne Win. The period from 1962-1988 can be divided into two phases. The first phase is the period of direct military rule from 1962-1974 and Constitutional Dictatorship phase from 1974 to 1988.
Suu Kyi tried her level best to placate army and she was deeply influenced by military generals to retain power. She thought she was blessed by military generals. Even in humanitarian issue as in the case of Rohinga, she supported army. Yet army turned against her. According to reports, the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état began on the morning of 1 February 2021 when democratically elected members of Myanmar’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy, were deposed by the Tatmadaw – Myanmar’s military -which vested power in aristocracy. The Tatmadaw proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been vested in Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing. It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency. The coup d’état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyiwere detained, along with ministers and their deputies and members of Parliament.
According to BBC news, the coup has sent a shudder of fear through the country, which endured almost 50 years of rule under oppressive military regimes before the move towards democratic rule in 2011. The early morning arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians were all too reminiscent of days many hoped they had left behind.
For the past five years, Suu Kyi and her once-banned National League for Democracy (NLD) party led the country after being elected in 2015 in the freest and fairest vote seen in 25 years. On Monday morning, the party should have begun its second term in office.
But behind the scenes, the military has kept a relatively tight grip on Myanmar (also known as Burma), thanks to a constitution which guarantees it a quarter of all seats in parliament and control of the country’s most powerful ministries.
I think it is a good lesson for Suu kyi. She rose against Bangladesh in Rohinga deeply influenced by military preponderance and invited world criticism. In fact, she became spokeswomen on behalf on army caring a little about her position as Nobel laureate.
Military has seized power n in Myanmar overtaking Aung San Suu Kyi on 2nd February 2021. As per reports, the army alleges the recent landslide election won by Ms Suu Kyi’s party was marred by fraud. Suu Kyi urged supporters to “protest against the coup”. In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, she said the military’s actions would put the country back under a dictatorship. The military has already announced replacements for a number of ministers. The leader of Myanmar’s civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, was taken into custody in a raid on 2nd February 2021. The army says it had taken control of the country and declared a state of emergency that will last for a year. To cite Wikipedia, Military rule in Myanmar lasted from 1962 to 2011 and resumed in 2021. Myanmar gained its independence from the British Empire in 1948 under the Burmese Independence Army, as a democratic nation The first military rule began in 1958 and direct military rule started when Nee Win captured power through a coup d’état in 1962. Burma became a military dictatorship under the Burma Socialist Programme Party that lasted for 26 years, under the claim to save the country from disintegration. During this period there was some democratic landscape in the form of giving rights to the citizen to elect and to stand for election.
Since its struggle for independence, the armed forces played an important role in gaining independence and it was under the Burmese Independence Army that Myanmar got its independence. The Army in Myanmar had gained respect in independent Myanmar at the initial stage and perceived as protector of the country. The military claims itself as the founder of the Union of Burma, and the main force that held the country together during the civil war and also claimed that it has prevented the country from disintegrating.
After the independent, a constitutional government was formed and U Nu was nominated as the first Prime Minister of Independent Myanmar. However the newly formed civilian government under U Nu, failed to maintain the unity of the country facing with domestic problems, ethnic issues, insurgency, corruption, mismanagement, and the ethnic insurgencies which took up arms against each other in 1958-60, the caretaker government under General Ne Win was formed. The caretaker government initially appeared to be interested in building state capacity. It reduced corruption, improved bureaucratic efficiency, and managed to deal with the pocket armies. Military junta announced to held election in 1960.
After the election in 1960, U Nu party formed a civilian government. But the civilian government under U Nu could not solve and improve the situation rather threat the national integration of the country leading to the coup on March 2, 1962 under General Ne Win. The main reasons for the coup were a mix of political infighting, policy gridlock, multiple insurgencies on a massive scale, and a declining economy. After the coup, the military government arrest members of the government, suspended the constitution and appoint a Union Revolutionary Council (RC) to Govern Myanmar by decree.
The coup on 2 March 1962 led to the end of democratic form of government and the beginning of direct military rule in Myanmar up to 1974. During the period of military rule under General Ne Win, the country was shaped into one-party socialist state under the army led party called as Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) till 1988. And the year from 1962 to 1988 can be marked as the era of Ne Win. The period from 1962-1988 can be divided into two phases. The first phase is the period of direct military rule from 1962-1974 and Constitutional Dictatorship phase from 1974 to 1988.
Suu Kyi tried her level best to placate army and she was deeply influenced by military generals to retain power. She thought she was blessed by military generals. Even in humanitarian issue as in the case of Rohinga, she supported army. Yet army turned against her. According to reports, the 2021 Myanmar coup d’état began on the morning of 1 February 2021 when democratically elected members of Myanmar’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy, were deposed by the Tatmadaw – Myanmar’s military -which vested power in aristocracy. The Tatmadaw proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been vested in Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing. It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency. The coup d’état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyiwere detained, along with ministers and their deputies and members of Parliament.
According to BBC news, the coup has sent a shudder of fear through the country, which endured almost 50 years of rule under oppressive military regimes before the move towards democratic rule in 2011. The early morning arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians were all too reminiscent of days many hoped they had left behind.
For the past five years, Suu Kyi and her once-banned National League for Democracy (NLD) party led the country after being elected in 2015 in the freest and fairest vote seen in 25 years. On Monday morning, the party should have begun its second term in office.
But behind the scenes, the military has kept a relatively tight grip on Myanmar (also known as Burma), thanks to a constitution which guarantees it a quarter of all seats in parliament and control of the country’s most powerful ministries.
I think it is a good lesson for Suu kyi. She rose against Bangladesh in Rohinga deeply influenced by military preponderance and invited world criticism. In fact, she became spokeswomen on behalf on army caring a little about her position as Nobel laureate.
(Dr Mashreque is retired professor of
Chittagong University).
