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Democracy or Development: Myanmar’s big debate
Subir Bhaumik, August 26, 2017
The debate about whether Myanmar needs development more than democracy seems to have gained some traction in recent months, partly due to the lacklustre performance of the Aung San Suu Kyio government and somewhat due to a recent survey of Myanmar public opinion carried out by the International Republican Institute (IRI) of USA.
The survey questioned 3,000 people above 18 across the states and regions between March 9 and April 1, 2017. Their views about their socio-economic status, political and security scenario in Myanmar, the democratic transition and rights, and perceptions of government, legislature, political parties and the media were sought.
The strange findings of IRI only confuses anyone watching Myanmar. Sample this — only 24 percent of respondents said democratic reform was more important than economic development while another 11 percent described democratic reform as moderately important. But only forty percent of respondents thought the economy was more important than democracy. So, by default 60 percent of the people surveyed did not think economy was more important.
But all newspaper and website headlines suggested that the survey had found more people in Myanmar emphasizing on development rather than democracy. IRI reinforced that feeling but the Myanmar people know better. Reading closely through the survey, one would get the feeling that people in Myanmar want both because they know one cannot be achieved without the other.
A country long afflicted by civil war like Myanmar needs peace and stability that follows from democracy, not otherwise, to develop. Free market economy leads to growth only if there is democracy with distributive justice.
IRI Asia Senior Advisor Johanna Kao said the survey intended to highlight what the government and political parties should do in the months ahead based on public opinion. So, going by IRI prescription, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government should put conflicts like the one in Rakhine on the backburner and only seek development. Because according to the survey, economy is the biggest concern of the people, followed by peace and resolving conflicts. Thirty-one percent of the respondents answered that the economy should be a higher priority of the government than resolving conflict.
“Most of the voters will focus on their socio-economic life. They will think about other things only when they enjoy their socio-economic status. They will like and accept a government only when it solves their livelihood problems,” said Rob Varsalone of Global Strategic Partners who supervised the survey.
The majority of the respondents were optimistic about Myanmar’s economy with 53 percent answering that it was doing well, while 22 percent said it was doing badly. So where is the issue! If majority of Myanmar people feel the economy is doing well, how can media headlines tend to suggest otherwise. A 53 percent approval rating on the economic performance is not something that can encourage complacency, but also is not something that could be used to undermine the government.
This is why the reporting of Myanmar in the global media has attracted much criticism. Veteran journalist and now vice chairman of the Myanmar Press Council Aung Hla Tun lashed out at them during a recent conference on Myanmar’s Democracy Transition. “They sensationalise and often get it all wrong,” Tun said. Going by the reporting of the IRI survey, one would feel the former Reuters Correspondent has a point.
“It is important to assess those figures based on demographics rather than believing the figures as they are,” said U Tin Maung Oo of the Former Political Prisoner Society. He pointed out the survey did not touch upon issues concerning the military. That is a growing problem with most Western experts — they are not factoring the military when assessing the performance of the Daw Suu Kyi government. How can there be full democracy when the military still controls three crucial ministries, has the last word on conflict in disturbed regions and account for one-fourth of the seats in the parliament. Unless the structure of democracy is fully established, how can one say whether the democracy has worked or failed.
Democracy is a whole package, not the sum total of what its manifestations look like. Yes, one has more free speech in Myanmar now than say five years ago, but the structure of democracy is awfully flawed and will remain so until Suu Kyi can contest for Presidency or the military presence in parliament and government wholly neutralised.
The way Suu Kyi has to walk a tight rope between her aspirational lawmakers and the military has often led to popular frustration. That explains the relative lower ratings the government got in the current IRI survey than the one in 2014.
For instance, 88 percent of respondents said the country was headed in the right direction in 2014, versus 75 percent in the new poll.
Some 73 percent appraised the economic situation as “somewhat good” in 2014, versus 53 percent today.
Asked if the current government was doing a “good job,” 58 percent said it was, but that number dipped from 69 percent three years ago.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/08/26/democracy-development-myanmars-big-debate/
Subir Bhaumik, August 26, 2017
The debate about whether Myanmar needs development more than democracy seems to have gained some traction in recent months, partly due to the lacklustre performance of the Aung San Suu Kyio government and somewhat due to a recent survey of Myanmar public opinion carried out by the International Republican Institute (IRI) of USA.
The survey questioned 3,000 people above 18 across the states and regions between March 9 and April 1, 2017. Their views about their socio-economic status, political and security scenario in Myanmar, the democratic transition and rights, and perceptions of government, legislature, political parties and the media were sought.
The strange findings of IRI only confuses anyone watching Myanmar. Sample this — only 24 percent of respondents said democratic reform was more important than economic development while another 11 percent described democratic reform as moderately important. But only forty percent of respondents thought the economy was more important than democracy. So, by default 60 percent of the people surveyed did not think economy was more important.
But all newspaper and website headlines suggested that the survey had found more people in Myanmar emphasizing on development rather than democracy. IRI reinforced that feeling but the Myanmar people know better. Reading closely through the survey, one would get the feeling that people in Myanmar want both because they know one cannot be achieved without the other.
A country long afflicted by civil war like Myanmar needs peace and stability that follows from democracy, not otherwise, to develop. Free market economy leads to growth only if there is democracy with distributive justice.
IRI Asia Senior Advisor Johanna Kao said the survey intended to highlight what the government and political parties should do in the months ahead based on public opinion. So, going by IRI prescription, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government should put conflicts like the one in Rakhine on the backburner and only seek development. Because according to the survey, economy is the biggest concern of the people, followed by peace and resolving conflicts. Thirty-one percent of the respondents answered that the economy should be a higher priority of the government than resolving conflict.
“Most of the voters will focus on their socio-economic life. They will think about other things only when they enjoy their socio-economic status. They will like and accept a government only when it solves their livelihood problems,” said Rob Varsalone of Global Strategic Partners who supervised the survey.
The majority of the respondents were optimistic about Myanmar’s economy with 53 percent answering that it was doing well, while 22 percent said it was doing badly. So where is the issue! If majority of Myanmar people feel the economy is doing well, how can media headlines tend to suggest otherwise. A 53 percent approval rating on the economic performance is not something that can encourage complacency, but also is not something that could be used to undermine the government.
This is why the reporting of Myanmar in the global media has attracted much criticism. Veteran journalist and now vice chairman of the Myanmar Press Council Aung Hla Tun lashed out at them during a recent conference on Myanmar’s Democracy Transition. “They sensationalise and often get it all wrong,” Tun said. Going by the reporting of the IRI survey, one would feel the former Reuters Correspondent has a point.
“It is important to assess those figures based on demographics rather than believing the figures as they are,” said U Tin Maung Oo of the Former Political Prisoner Society. He pointed out the survey did not touch upon issues concerning the military. That is a growing problem with most Western experts — they are not factoring the military when assessing the performance of the Daw Suu Kyi government. How can there be full democracy when the military still controls three crucial ministries, has the last word on conflict in disturbed regions and account for one-fourth of the seats in the parliament. Unless the structure of democracy is fully established, how can one say whether the democracy has worked or failed.
Democracy is a whole package, not the sum total of what its manifestations look like. Yes, one has more free speech in Myanmar now than say five years ago, but the structure of democracy is awfully flawed and will remain so until Suu Kyi can contest for Presidency or the military presence in parliament and government wholly neutralised.
The way Suu Kyi has to walk a tight rope between her aspirational lawmakers and the military has often led to popular frustration. That explains the relative lower ratings the government got in the current IRI survey than the one in 2014.
For instance, 88 percent of respondents said the country was headed in the right direction in 2014, versus 75 percent in the new poll.
Some 73 percent appraised the economic situation as “somewhat good” in 2014, versus 53 percent today.
Asked if the current government was doing a “good job,” 58 percent said it was, but that number dipped from 69 percent three years ago.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/08/26/democracy-development-myanmars-big-debate/
