Close to 150 people — many of them Myanmar expatriates living in the US Midwest — gathered May 29 at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to discuss constitutional reform and economic development in Myanmar, according to the campus newspaper.
Among the presenters at the U.S.-Myanmar Engagement Conference, held at the IUPUI Campus Center, was Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent many years under house arrest for defying Myanmar’s military junta.
Suu Kyi serves in the lower house of the nation’s parliament and is preparing for national elections this fall. As leader of the National League for Democracy, she hopes to run for the presidency at that time.
The Oxford-trained democracy fighter spoke for about nine minutes via a video message she sent to the organizers of the conference.
Among those attending the conference was U Kyaw Tin, permanent United Nations representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, who also spoke.
“It is always a pleasure for me to address fellow Burmese overseas, because although they are no longer living in our country, I feel very much they’re still a part of us and that they would like to do everything they can — not just to maintain their ties with our country but to help us to develop in the best possible way,” Suu Kyi said during her introduction on the video.
“We are now at an important point in the history of our country. The next few months will decide whether we’re going forward to democratic governance and genuine economic development, or whether we’re going to stagnate in a façade of democratic rule that is in fact not much better than an authoritarian administration.”
Suu Kyi addressed a number of critically important issues, particularly the need for constitutional reform as part of fundamental and shared policy.
“We have always put a lot of emphasis on political development because that has been lacking sadly in our country for the last few decades. And because of the lack of political development, we have not been able to develop economically either,” she said. “I think that good, sound, honest politics lies at the foundation of good, sound economy.”
If Myanmar does not have rule of law or a government that is transparent and accountable, which “manages to gain the confidence of the people,” it will never fully benefit its citizens, she said.
Suu Kyi disagreed with those who like to measure progress by overall economic growth and questioned the benefits of reforms offered by the present government. Development has to mean a better life for the great majority of the Burmese people, and “not just for a small, privileged elite.”
“I fear that this is where we seem to be headed at the moment,” she said. “All the economic reforms that some people have tried to focus on have done more to help the already privileged, rather than to help those who are suffering from poverty, who are suffering from the ill effects of an authoritarian regime that was in place in our country for half a century.”
Suu Kyi called for further, more democratic constitutional reforms before this fall’s national elections.
“If we have to start with reform anywhere, it should be with constitutional reform,” she said, “The 2008 constitution, under which the elections of 2010 were held and under which the elections of this year are going to be held too, was not drawn up with a practicing democracy in mind.
“It was drawn up with the intention of preserving the status quo as far as possible, while making the minimum concession to the democratic demands. Because of that, our people under this constitution are not in a position to exercise full authority over the government.”
She expressed doubts for meaningful reform as long as the military maintains its control over the process.
“They have the right of veto over amendments to essential parts of the constitution. If the elections this year are to be free and fair, the constitution has to be amended in a way that will give the people full right to choose the kind of government they wish to see in their country,” Suu Kyi said.
“Economic reforms can be fair, only if the elections this year are free and fair. Free and fair are two very short and very simple words, but they cover adequately all that we need for our elections; not just free elections but fair elections, which means a level playing ground, which means a constitution that will allow our people to choose the kind of representatives they want — freely and without intervention from any privileged group.”
She also noted that the results of the 2015 elections and the will of the people “must be respected” and “implemented.” If these conditions are met, she said, economic development that will benefit everyone — including Burmese Americans who invest in their native country — should follow.
“Investments can be safe only if there is stability and peace within a country,” she reminded the audience.
Some in the audience had hoped that Suu Kyi would say more about the National League for Democracy’s forthcoming economic policy paper in advance of the fall election. But she did offer assurances about contracts signed by U.S. investors with the current government.
“Concerns have been expressed that an NLD government would not honor contracts signed with this present government. I would like to make it quite clear that the NLD believes in the rule of law and all contracts that have been signed in the right way and in accordance with best practices will be honored,” she said.
“We do not want people to feel insecure in Burma. Our people must first feel secure and all those who are participating in the development process of our country — whether they be businessmen, whether they simply be friends of Burma — I want all of them also to feel secure.”