Suu Kyi's by-poll victory: Is it really the beginning of an era?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 04, 2012 -

Despite complaints over irregularities in poll campaign and intimidation to candidates in the run up to the 'crucial' Sunday's by-elections, Myanmar Opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide victory sweeping 43 seats out of 44 constituencies it contested for the available 45 Parliamentary seats, thus giving a crushing blow to the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

USDP came to power with the blessing of former Military Junta after the controversy marred elections to bicameral Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Myanmar Parliament or Assembly of the Union) in 2010.

The Sunday's by-elections were held to fill 45 parliamentary seats left vacant following appointment of ministers after the polls that formally ended rule of Military Junta in November 2010.

In all 17 Opposition parties took part in the by-polls which has been described as Myanmar's first free vote since the constituent assembly elections in 1990 when the NLD won a similar landslide victory shortly before the country's military rulers annulled the result.

The contest of Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD in the by-poll was also its first election since 1990, after boycotting the 2010 polls, and the landslide victory has added to the enormous symbolism of Aung San Suu Kyi's own election to Pyidaungsu Hluttaw after 15 years of house arrest and violent suppression of her supporters in the hands of Military Junta.

This would be the first time that the democratic icon would be holding a public office. In a brief address to her supporters outside her party's headquarters just after the election results, Suu Kyi hailed the victory of her party in the by-poll as 'triumph of the people' and 'beginning of an era'

Interestingly, many political observers who have been closely monitoring the development in Myanmar have expressed skepticism over possible beginning of a new era from the win of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party in the Sunday's by-polls.

They pointed out that despite her global prominence as democratic icon, Suu Kyi would have to join a parliament which is still overwhelmingly controlled by the military-backed ruling party.

Out of the 43 seats in its kitty, NLD has garnered only 37 seats in the 440-seat lower house, four in the upper house and two in the regional chambers while one quarter of the total seats in the parliament are reserved for unelected military officials.

The political observers contended that the military-backed government has allowed the election simply because the shift in seats would not yet pose any threat to the power of the military and its civilian allies.

On the other hand, there are others who swear that Suu Kyi's election to political office is the latest sweeping change in Myanmar after decades of outright military rule which ended last year.

In fact, since assuming power after the 'flawed elections' in March 2011, the present quasi-civilian government led by President U Thein Sein, a former military general, has surprised even its critics with a string of reforms such as releasing hundreds of political prisoners, welcoming the Opposition back into mainstream politics and taking up steps to liberalise the state-controlled economy.

More significantly, Thein Sein has welcomed the results of the by-elections and pledged to continue his liberal reform programme. He is quoted to have said that the elections had been 'conducted in a very successful manner' during a summit of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh today (April 3).

Only time will tell, whether the current political changes in Myanmar are real reform or just a sham?

Nonetheless, we feel that Myanmar should be allowed to proceed at its own pace until the next general election in 2015, which is going to be the real test for democracy and reform.