By Tirthankar Mitra
December 28 has come and gone marking the end of the first phase of the three-phase elections in Myanmar, but democracy seems to be elusive. The elections are widely being viewed at home and abroad as a “sham”.
Myanmar is in need of peace, democracy and human rights. It would usher in legality and humanitarian aid. But democracy seems to be a long distance away, as more than half the political parties that contested the2020 elections no longer exist. And there is “good reason” for it.
The military seized power in a coup in 2021 and alleged widespread malpractices in the election held the previous year. It arrested de facto leader of the country, Sakharov Prize and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The military-controlled Union Election Commission has deregistered parties for failing to meet its “criteria”. Aung Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy has been dissolved. The international community has no illusion about fairness of the Myanmar elections.
At the ASRAN-UN summit UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres did not .mince words. “I don’t think that anybody be relieved that those election (in Myanmar) will be free and fair”, he said. But for Min Aung Hlaing, the military general whose writ runs supreme in Myanmar, regional legitimacy matters more than Western or domestic approval.
For the neighbours prioritise border security as well as refugee outflow. Meanwhile, armed with weapons coming from convert allies, the junta has been regaining lost ground. The junta presently controls only 20 per cent of the country. India’s challenge is to maintain a balance.
After all, non-state actors contain large stretches of the country. To actualize its Act East policy, India needs a stable sovereign neighbour, to serve as the gateway to South East Asia.
While New Delhi must press for the return of democracy in Myanmar, India has to remain a supportive neighbour. It has demonstrated its first-responder role during the devastating earthquake in Myanmar in March. On the other hand, Delhi’s ties with Dhaka continues to remain in flux. Small wonder then, stability with other neighbours becomes all the more critical for India’s foreign policy. (IPA Service)
