POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN MYANMAR: NEW CONSTITUTION, INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS AND STRATEGIES OF THE MILITARY

This article analyzes the political developments in Myanmar, focusing on the military junta's promulgation of a new constitution in 2008 and its "roadmap to democracy." It provides a critical assessment of the new constitution, arguing that it is designed to legitimize and perpetuate the dominant political role of the military rather than to usher in a genuine democracy. The study examines the international community's concerns about the deeply flawed and exclusionary process through which the constitution was drafted and approved. The research explores the key strategies of the military regime, which sought to create the institutional framework for a "disciplined democracy" that would allow it to transition from direct to indirect rule while retaining ultimate control. The paper also discusses the position of the pro-democracy opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and the challenges it faced. The analysis concludes that the military's roadmap was a carefully managed and top-down process designed to entrench its own power, offering little prospect for a genuine democratic transition.

In 2008, the military junta in Myanmar announced a new constitution and a seven-step "roadmap to democracy," a move that was met with deep skepticism both at home and abroad. This paper provides a detailed analysis of these political developments. The first part of the study is a critical deconstruction of the 2008 constitution. It highlights the key provisions that are designed to ensure the military's permanent and dominant role in the political system, such as the reservation of 25% of parliamentary seats for the armed forces and the placement of key security ministries under military control. The paper argues that this constitution effectively creates a legal framework for a military-led, quasi-civilian government, not a genuine democracy. The core of the article is an analysis of the military's broader political strategy. It posits that the junta, facing growing international pressure and recognizing the unsustainability of direct rule, was attempting to engineer a transition to a form of "disciplined democracy." This strategy, the paper argues, was aimed at gaining a degree of international legitimacy and sanctions relief while ensuring that the military's core interests were protected and that the pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi remained marginalized. The paper also assesses the international reaction, noting the divide between the West's continued policy of sanctions and ASEAN's more accommodating stance of "constructive engagement." The findings reveal a carefully choreographed political process, designed not to empower the people of Myanmar, but to perpetuate the power of its military elite in a new guise.