The Fall of Democracy in Myanmar

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military staged a coup, detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratic leaders and imposing military rule (BBC 2021). Protests against this military rule began in February and have continued since. On March 27, 2021, the deadliest day since the coup itself, more than 100 peaceful protestors, including children, were killed by the military (Beaumont 2021).

Buddhist monks lead a protest march against the military coup that overthrew the elected government in Myanmar in February. The Christian Science Monitor. 

Myanmar’s issues stem from a lack of effective institutions. Both freedom and equality as well as the means to protect them are lacking in this country. It has proven to be a weak state, unable to carry out necessary basic tasks: namely, enforcing the rule of law. Unable to enforce the rule of law, the state cannot keep the military in check. Because the state’s institutions are ineffective, Myanmar lacks legitimacy. Therefore, the military relies on coercion, not just through fear and threats but through brutal violence.

Myanmar’s democracy was never properly consolidated, and now, it has been replaced by military rule (Newsround 2021). Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace prize in 1991 for her fight for human rights and democracy and her willingness to give up her own her freedom to challenge those who had ruthlessly ruled Myanmar for decades (BBC 2021). She won the first openly contested election in Myanmar in 25 years but in recent years has experienced a fall from grace, losing international supporters because of her refusal to condemn military action during the genocide of the Rohingya (BBC 2021). Beginning in 2017, the Myanmar military carried out a campaign of killing, arson, and rape against the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority (Tyson 2021). The fall from grace of an icon like Aung San Suu Kyi is another example of Myanmar falling further from democracy.

As the Rohingya genocide shows, there has often been religious conflict in Myanmar, but in the face of the present military coup, different religious groups have unified in protest (Tyson 2021). Hope for democracy in Myanmar remains. The protest movement is an important sign of progress as citizens are willing to risk their lives to create a pro-democracy civil disobedience movement. As one Buddhist monk, Mandalar, put it “We have to help the people get their rights and freedom…If we deny the situation and don’t [get] involved, it’s a shame” (Tyson 2021). No one should have to live in a constant state of fear. Everyone deserves freedom and equality. This movement is developing a stronger national identity for the protestors, but this identity does not match up with the ideals of the state currently ruled by the military. The protestors believe in their own democratic political aspirations, not the authoritarian aspirations of the state.

Myanmar's military junta has continued a brutal crackdown on a nationwide civil disobedience movement. The Guardian (from Getty Images).

After Saturday’s events, the United Nations condemned the killing of peaceful protestors as did US President Joe Biden (Beaumont 2021). President Biden declared that the US will not trade with Myanmar until a democratic government is restored (Beaumont 2021). The United States is a strong state built on rational-legal legitimacy and citizens who believe in and accept the role of US institutions. The US has many problems, but in comparison to Myanmar, the strength of US institutions makes it difficult for the complete overthrow of democracy that occurred in Myanmar to occur in the United States. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there is some hope for the restoration of democracy and a better future for Myanmar through international support if its people continue to come together and fearlessly fight for democracy, freedom, and equality even in the face of extreme military action.


References
BBC News. 2021. “Aung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar Democracy Icon Who Fell from Grace,” March 5. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977 (March 29, 2021).

Beaumont, Peter. 2021. “US to Stop Trading with Myanmar until Return of Democratic Government.” The Guardian, March 29. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/biden-and-eu-condemn-myanmar-bloodshed-as-outrageous-and-a-day-of-shame (March 29, 2021).
Newsround. 2021. “Myanmar: Why Are People Protesting?” BBC, March 28. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56554156 (March 29, 2021).
Tyson, Ann Scott. 2021. “Myanmar Protesters Bridge Religious Divides to Counter Military Coup.” The Christian Science Monitor, March 26. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2021/0326/Myanmar-protesters-bridge-religious-divides-to-counter-military-coup (March 29, 2021).