Democracy, Burma-Style

WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA May 1, 2008


Burmese go to the polls next week to vote on a new constitution, but their ballots won't matter much. The document on offer from the military junta isn't meant to empower the people – it's for their rulers. If there's any good news here, it's that this farce may spark another march for freedom.

The constitution, released April 9, is full of references to "democracy," but not the kind of freedom that liberal nations promote. The constitution reserves 25% of parliamentary seats for army appointees and allows the commander-in-chief to seize control during a state of emergency. Either the president or one of two vice presidents must be elected by army representatives. Specific clauses disqualify opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running for high office because she was married to a foreigner.

The junta hasn't left anything to chance. Hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns are forbidden from voting. Local-level officials have been instructed by their higher-ups to ensure their districts vote "yes." At the Burmese embassy in Singapore last weekend, hundreds of Burmese expats wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the word "no" were turned away from advance voting.

The junta itself seems to realize its constitution might be unpopular. Although the government has launched a massive advertising campaign with slogans such as "to approve the state constitution is the national duty," they're charging nearly one U.S. dollar per copy of the document – too dear for ordinary Burmese. The text is also available only in Burmese, making it difficult reading for millions of ethnic minorities whose native language is not Burmese.

You'd think this episode might be a good opportunity for Burma's closest trading partners to gently steer its friend toward the right track. But no: Thailand's foreign minister this week welcomed Burma's prime minister to Bangkok, hailing the constitution as "a step toward democracy." The PM had an audience with the King last night, and dined at the home of his Thai counterpart Tuesday. Burma's neighbor to the west, India, hasn't said a word.

The United States, at least, seems to be telling it like it is. The constitution "would appear intended only to perpetuate the rule of the existing military junta in Burma," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. The U.S. has introduced a resolution to the United Nations Security Council calling for dialogue with Ms. Suu Kyi. China is expected to veto it.

So once again, the Burmese people are left to shoulder their fight for freedom alone. Remarkably, they seem willing to do so, even after the military killed more than 30 peaceful protestors last year. More than 70 people have been arrested in the past week for campaigning against the constitution, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners. Saturday, dozens of protesters congregated around Shwedagon pagoda – the focal point of protests last September – and scores more protested on the streets of Sittwe, in western Burma.

The last time Burma held elections, in 1990, Ms. Suu Kyi's party won by a landslide, but the junta simply annulled the results and kept on ruling. There's nothing to say that won't happen again this time, if the people of Burma are brave enough to vote "no."

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