November 3, 2009 : by Htun Aung Gyaw

The ruling Junta SLORC/SPDC has no legitimacy and credibility after it lost the election in 1990.  Burma last election on May 27, 1990 turned out a huge victory for the opposition political party National League for Democracy (NLD) which won 82% of the parliamentary seats.  The junta has no legitimacy to rule after people voted for opposition political party.

Unfortunately the ruling junta, State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) annulled the election results and said there was no appropriate constitution and they have to draw the constitution first.  When the regime shamelessly denied to hand over the political power to the NLD party, it lost its credibility on the world stage.

The regime called the national convention with hand pick people; they allowed the NLD party to attend the convention but all the participants were forced to accept the direction that the regime wanted.  NLD party and Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD) walked out from the convention because they could not express their opinions.  2008 constitution was written only with regime’s hand pick people, not the elected parliamentary members voted by the people from the 1990 election.  As a result the 2008 constitution has no credibility and legitimacy at all.

SLORC changed its name to State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) after it lost the election in 1990 and made an excuse that there was no appropriate constitution to transfer the political power to the winner party, NLD.  SPDC’s one sided constitutional drawing process took 16 years and finally it was approved in 2008.   The 2008 Burma constitution was born in that way.  When ever it is democratic or not, Burma has new constitution so the question is why SPDC transfer the political power to the winner party under the new constitution, why they have to make another election in 2010???.

Still today, the regime denied to explain officially about the 1990 election results.  What is the meaning of the 1990 election?  Is the 1990 election for transfer the political power to the winner party? If not, what is the reason to make the election in 1990?  The regime still avoid to answer those questions instead the junta is planning the election in 2010.

2010 is approaching but the regime does not announce the election law yet.  Some politicians give up to fight against the undemocratic 2010 constitution and planning to enter the election hoping that they can get inside the parliament and fight against the evil system.

But General Than Shwe made it clear in his speech on October 9, 2009 at the Veteran’s convention that no one has to expect to get “a Mature democracy” after the 2010 election.  It means he or his gang will continue to rule the country after the election and there will be no freedom of expression or freedom to criticize the ruling junta in any way.  Politicians and international actors who have optimistic about the election need to analyze carefully what he said.

Recently, movie actor Kyaw Thu, who is famous not only for his acting but also for his free funeral service and free health care for the poor who could not afford to bury their love ones or pay for the medical treatment, was summoned to the court for not digging 5 feet wide and 5 feet deep trench in his new service building by the municipal.  Kyaw Thu refused to do that because there is no drainage pattern near by his building.  He explained that if he dig 5X5 trench the water will surrounded his building and there will be a lot of mosquitoes sprout in it and it will not good for patients and workers there.

Kyaw Thu’s case high light another signal to the world that the ruling generals are not going to give freedom and democracy to its own people.  The regime is very paranoid about the popularity of an individual who are admired by people in general.  When Kyaw Thu started his mission to help weak and poor people, he got a lot of support from the mass and admired by many classes in the country.  He got a lot of donation from people and his service is growing from a few people to two hundred employees and volunteer doctors.  A non profit organization like Kyaw Thu is facing such harassment because of his popularity among people proved that the junta will not allow political parties to win in the coming election.

The international actors who want to see free and fair election need to know the detail movement inside Burma just like Kyaw Thu case.  Even the NGOs are not allow to function freely in Burma , how political parties could run the election in 2010.

Under military rule civil society has weaken sharply.  Student’s Unions were targeted as enemy of the state, so as other class based organizations.

Today

• More than 2000 political prisoners including, leading political figure Aung San Suu Kyi  88 Generation Students
• Even NGOs are not liberty to do their jobs
• Newspapers are own by the regime and use as their propaganda tools
• Radio Broadcasting and Television stations are solely run by the regime.
• Political parties like NLD, SNLD still exist but no right to organize it own members and barred to call a mass meeting.
• Student’s Unions, Labor Unions, Peasant organizations exist under ground and religious organizations are barred to practice, not only the Christians and Muslims but also Buddhist organizations.

Today, Burma still does not have freedom of association, publication and expression, without freedom of association and strong civil society Burmese people will get fake democracy under Than Shwe organized crime syndicate which has no legitimacy and credibility to rule Burma .