THERE’S a little over a week left until we cast our votes in our nation’s third election since the 2008 Constitution came into effect.
While some critics have pointed out to faults during the NLD-led government’s term, others acknowledge both their short-comings and the amount of progress they have achieved in so little a timeframe.
However, it is a good sign that people are voicing their opinions and pointing out with criticism.
This is how a democracy should be where constructive observations support the development and keep a check and balance sort of relationship between the public and those in authority. We can see three phases that accompany the elections of 2010, 2015 and now 2020.
In the first election, the focus can be said to be on establishing the foundation of a democratic system as we reestablished Hluttaws across the nation both at the Union level as well as at the region and state levels.
The second election is more of a transition into civilian administration as many positions of government which were once held by military personnel were handed over to civilian personnel.
The third election, the one we will soon be experiencing, has so far had more political parties and voices focused on the diverse ethnic groups of Myanmar come out into the light.
They have been making their voices heard for the past several decades, but this election is slightly different in that more and more people from urban areas are diversifying their support for candidates other than the major parties.
Yet, this period is also marked by calls of unfairness with elections cancelled in certain constituencies on the pretext of security reasons. There are arguments from both sides as some worry the lack of elections will cause political opinions to diminish while others doubt that democratic elections could bring an end to armed conflicts. It is this writer’s opinion that all stakeholders should carry out their duties and responsibility to uphold peace and development by doing what they think is right, within the boundaries of the law and morality.
The people should continue to voice their opinions even without elections in their constituencies as these voices can be broadcast loud and wide, especially in this age of advanced communications technologies.
Authorities will also continue to do what they think is right in shaping the future of our nation for the prosperity of all who live within it. So too, on the other side of the armed conflicts, they may have opposing views and aspirations but it is most likely that both sides are weary of fighting yet not ready to trust the other to pursue a more civil and political course of the dialogue.
But now is the time to work on our differences more than ever, as we have already made a decade-long march for the democratic system we have now, no matter how fledgeling it may be. If people can devote more than 60 years to conflict, then surely we can all give the same or greater amount of time to pursuing the peaceful path of resolving our issues.
