Channelnewsasia 04 May 2008
YANGON - Myanmar goes to the polls Saturday to vote on a constitution which the government says will usher in democratic elections in 2010, but which critics say will only solidify the military's iron grip on power.
The vote -- the first here in 18 years -- comes just months after the authorities last September violently suppressed mass demonstrations led by Buddhist monks, leading to 31 deaths, according to the United Nations.
The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously urged the authorities to ensure an "inclusive and credible" political process and reminded them of their pledge to ensure a "free and fair" referendum.
Preparations for the polls, meanwhile, could be hindered by severe damage from a tropical cyclone which lashed Myanmar's main city on Saturday, downing power lines, cutting off electricity and tearing roofs off houses.
The ruling generals say a "yes" vote is vital to ensuring the stability and unity of the country, but opponents see it as an attempt to deflect Western criticism of the government’s lack of progress on its "roadmap" to democracy.
Detained Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy have called on voters to reject the document, which they say will not bring about democratic change after more than 45 years of military rule.
But the effectiveness of the NLD's campaign has been severely curtailed as the government has outlawed public debate and speeches against the constitution, which was drawn up over 14 years in a process closely overseen by the military.
Myanmar's generals have rejected any UN assistance or international observers for Saturday's polls.
But rights groups say the last national referendum in 1973 was rigged while the results of the May 27, 1990 election which Aung San Suu Kyi and her party won with a landslide were overturned.
The proposed charter reserves a quarter of seats in both houses of parliament and certain cabinet posts for the military.
As amendments to the constitution require support from three-quarters of both houses, the military holds an effective veto.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the only Nobel peace laureate in detention, is also barred from running for election under a clause which prohibits candidates with a foreign spouse. She is the widow of British Tibetan scholar Michael Aris.
Rights groups say the key clauses are a mystery to voters, as most of them
have not even seen the 194-page document they have been called upon to assess.
The draft was released only a month before the referendum and has not been widely circulated outside the main city Yangon.
It is also only available in Burmese and English, even though around 40 percent of the population speak one of the 135 other languages used by the country's ethnic minorities, Human Rights Watch says.
Myanmar has known only brief periods of civilian rule since the-then Union of Burma won independence from Britain in 1948, and has had a history of ethnic conflicts ever since.
The generals "believe the army has saved the country from disintegration and trust neither politicians nor ethnic minority leaders to safeguard that legacy," the International Crisis Group said in a report earlier this year.
Their long rule has however done little for the economy of a country once seen as one of the rising stars of Asia, as resources have been diverted towards fighting insurgents and building the military.
The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions since the mid-1990s, with the EU renewing its measures and US President George W. Bush announcing new steps last week.
Despite possessing fertile land and rich natural resources, in particular gas, Myanmar is now one of the poorest countries in the world.
Last year's demonstrations were triggered by increases in fuel prices and public transport fares while massive protests in 1988 were sparked by the government's decision to devalue the kyat currency, wiping out people's savings.
Whatever the outcome of the referendum, analysts say the government looks set to retain its influence. - AFP/vm
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