Marginalizing the Myanmar Military is an Imperative

บทคัดย่อ

Since Myanmar (in 1989 the official English name of the country was changed from the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar) gained independence from the Britain in 1948, the Myanmar Army, known as Tatmataw, has carried out 2 coups d’état in 69 years, and dominated Myanmar’s politics over five decades. The British legacy of ethnic conflict has fueled the rationale for Army dominance of the country, and Myanmar has now regressed into “military bureaucratic authoritarianism.” The landslide victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the 2015 general election was a significant milestone for democratic change after decades of military-dominated government. The author argues that the army is the greatest barrier to the country’s sustainable development, and the government must undertake comprehensive marginalization of the military as its first priority. Marginalization may be achieved through amending the 2008 constitution which retains military bureaucratic authoritarianism. The military need to be excluded, from politics, including the exclusion of ex-military officers from the leadership positions in the ministries. The author reviews Indonesia’s process of marginalizing the militia from politics as an example that Myanmar can replicate. The author argue that civilian control over the military and technocratic control over the country’s administration will enable Myanmar to launch a strategic plan of sustainable development and bring legitimacy to Myanmar’s political institutions within the international community.