Global Issues
U.S. Praises Myanmar Poll
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama Monday hailed Sunday's parliamentary by-election in Myanmar, also known as Burma, which the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won in a landslide.
In a written statement, White House spokesman Jay Carney described the election as 'an important step in Burma's democratic transformation. (W)e hope it is an indication that the Government of Burma intends to continue along the path of greater openness, transparency, and reform.' But he failed to say what steps Washington may take to further its rapprochement with Myanmar that gained considerable momentum late last year when Hillary Clinton met separately with President Thein Sein and Suu Kyi during the first trip by a secretary of state to Myanmar in nearly 60 years.
Her visit was followed by the government's release in January of hundreds of political prisoners, one in a series of steps, including Sunday's by-elections, that the administration said could lead to full normalisation of relations between the two countries. While State Department officials hinted that some reciprocal gestures - including the anticipated nomination of an ambassador to Yangon - could be expected, Clinton herself suggested Washington would proceed cautiously.
'Going forward, it will be critical for authorities to continue working toward an electoral system that meets international standards, that includes transparency, and expeditiously addresses concerns about intimidation and irregularities,' Clinton said at a press conference in Istanbul Monday in response to some reports of problems at polling places. 'It is too early to know what the progress of recent months means and whether it will be sustained,' Clinton had said late Sunday when the poll results were first announced. 'There are no guarantees about what lies ahead for the people of Burma…'
If the administration reacted cautiously, three major U.S. business associations interested in Myanmar's abundant natural resources, including oil and gas, urged deeper engagement in a joint statement.
Calling the election an 'important milestone' in Myanmar's reform process, the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council called for the 'continuation and expansion' of 'the enhanced U.S. diplomatic engagement with Myanmar' — the name given the country by the ruling military junta that ignored the NLD's landslide victory in the 1990 elections and subsequently imprisoned most of its leadership.
The three groups, which collectively represent the most important U.S. companies with interests in Southeast Asia and which have long opposed economic sanctions against Myanmar, called explicitly for the administration to name a U.S. ambassador 'as soon as possible'. 'We believe that such engagement has been, and will be, crucial in encouraging and supporting further reform,' they said.
Of the 44 seats that were up for grabs in Sunday's elections, the NLD reportedly won at least 40 and possibly as many as 43, including the rural seat contested by Suu Kyi herself, according to the latest reports. While some minor opposition parties participated in 2010 elections, this was the first contested by the NLD since the 1990 poll.
Whether the NLD's victory will translate into real political power, however, remains to be seen. Even if it wins 43 seats, the NLD will hold just over six percent of the 664- seat Union Parliament, which remains dominated by the military that has effectively controlled Myanmar's government since 1962. Without support from the government, the party will be unable to pass laws on its own, let alone amend the military-designed constitution.
© Inter Press Service (2012) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service