Coming up to the second anniversary of the coup with the junta-imposed state of emergency about to be lifted the junta is increasingly working on the national elections it has planned for Myanmar.
Civil Society Organisation Progressive Voice says the elections will be a sham and they must not be misinterpreted as a reason or, even worse, an excuse for countries to normalise relationships with the junta. It believes that the international community must follow the lead of the Spring Revolution in establishing a federal democratic Myanmar.
According to Progressive Voice, the State Administration Council will repackage itself as an interim civilian body — a ‘transition council’ — to smooth a fake democratic transition. But, whatever it does or call itself will not cover-up the junta’s illegitimacy.
Three facts stand: the people of Myanmar already voiced their wishes in the 2020 elections; the military has absolutely no legal authority or capability to hold any election; and any election under current circumstances is bound to ignore the Myanmar people’s political will and aspirations and deprive the country of democratic rule.
Progressive Voice believes that he junta’s illegal election will not resolve the worsening crisis, but rather add more violence and suffering to an already devastating situation.
As stated by the Strategic Initiative Forum — a coalition of General Strike Committee, ethnic revolutionary organizations (EROs) along with other civil society organizations set up to establish a federal democratic union — “The ‘election ’will most certainly not bring any stability, peace, justice or equality to Myanmar society.”
But, the junta will take any steps to clutch at claims to legitimacy, so the fraudulent elections are most likely to take place. Only a handful of people who support or align with the military will cast a ballot, and others in areas under the junta’s control will be coerced into doing so under threat of violence.
Votes will be cast in the military’s shrinking domains and in limited areas of their allied ethnic militias, and under extremely limited conditions — simply just so the junta can parade “evidence” of a vote.
Every precautionary measure is being taken to ensure the vote happens. Local administrations in the junta’s control areas are fielding household registration and lists of voters are being compiled, while candidates ’phone numbers have been recorded.
The junta has now closed down the office responsible for issuing and renewing passports to lock people inside the country. Meanwhile, a war rages on in Karen State, Sagaing Region and elsewhere in an attempt to bludgeon local resistance into submission.
The junta is crossing its fingers that, once the votes appear in its favor, international pressure will be eased and the resistance movement will be fractured. Playing the same tune as previous military dictators, the junta outlawed its democratic opposition the National League for Democracy, while offering empty promises for constitutional changes to non-Bamar ethnic nationalities.
This time, however, standing alongside the people’s movement, ethnic political parties and the EROs are not playing along with the junta’s game. The Karen National Union has already categorically opposed the bogus vote, as have the Chin National Organisation, the Kachin Independence Organization and the Palaung State Liberation Front. The Arakan League for Democracy, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the Shan National League for Democracy and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army refused to participate in the fraudulent process.
People across regions have taken to the streets to oppose the junta’s illegal election, and revolutionary forces are launching multiple attacks on election personnel. The Tamu Township Election Commission in Sagaing Region was torched, while several blasts sabotaged survey infrastructure in Yangon, Mandalay, Magwe and Sagaing Regions. Youth in Yangon have also handed out leaflets to “fight against illegitimate and sham elections of fascist military.”
All resistance actions are not simply to denounce the planned illegal election. It is also to remind the world that the Myanmar people had already given their votes in the 2020 elections, which was blatantly disrespected by the military.
To the international community, feigning elections may seem like a convenient pretext to establish relative stability in the region and return to business-as-usual. But it must not fall into this trap. The resistance and defiance of the Myanmar people in the past 24 months should already be enough to convince the world that this is an incorrect, unethical approach to take. If not, the protest from the Mandalay Strike Committee should do the trick: “Let’s oppose the election, lest we fall under the boots of the military again.”
Global and regional responses must be guided by the determination and calls of the Myanmar people, not deceived by the junta’s ploy and a false sense of regional stability. ASEAN and the wider international community must stand in solidarity with the people’s movement: strongly object and denounce the junta’s sham election; and provide political and practical support to the Spring Revolution. As the Indonesian Investment Minister has aptly put: “Let someone else who is qualified manage this country.”
