Myanmar junta's election plan, constitutional referendum meets with skepticism

February 11, 2008 (AP)- YANGON, Myanmar: Military-ruled Myanmar's surprise announcement that it will hold a vote on a new constitution this May and a general election in 2010 was criticized as too little, too late by the regime's critics.

The official announcements late Saturday of the constitutional referendum and the election were the government's first-ever moves to set dates for stages of its so-called road map to democracy.

But the ruling junta's critics — who claim that the long-delayed road map is designed to perpetuate military rule, not promote democracy — pointed out Sunday that that the process has so far excluded detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other independent political voices.

"We're frankly very skeptical. We're not persuaded that this is anything more than a cynical sham," said Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

"Any genuine movement towards democracy or respect for human rights can only be done in cooperation with the international community and also with the political leaders in Burma," he said, using the former name for Myanmar.

Britain earlier voiced similar sentiments and called for the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

Britain and Australia, like the United States and other Western nations, impose political and economic sanctions on the junta because of its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.

Even Japan, which leans toward engaging the military government rather than isolating it, expressed disappointment that the junta had not gone further.

"We credit that the Myanmar government showed a timeframe for the democratization process by announcing its plans to hold the constitutional referendum and the election," said a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement.

"However, the process does not allow participation by Aung San Suu Kyi and other (opposition) parties," the statement said. "Japan believes that a true dialogue participated in by all parties is crucial in achieving Myanmar's national reconciliation."

Myanmar's last election took place in 1990, but the military refused to hand over power to the winning party — Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy or NLD. Since then the country has been in a political deadlock.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962 and has not had a constitution since the last one was scrapped in 1988, after the army crushed earlier pro-democracy demonstrations and the current junta took power.

Suu Kyi's party reacted cautiously to Saturday's announcements, noting the lack of detail on how the referendum would be carried out.

"The announcement is vague, incomplete and strange," said NLD party spokesman Nyan Win.

Reaction was mixed in Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, where there was little show of enthusiasm for the plans.

"I have no faith in the government-sponsored referendum," said lawyer Tun Wai, 62, who charged that the junta has "never kept their promises."

Some conceded, however, that the plans had a few merits.

"I will vote for the constitution as it is better to have a constitution than not having any at all," said 57-year-old university lecturer Tint Lwin.
Source: International Herald Tribune