The Myanmar military coup council has not yet fallen, but it is failing fast on all fronts

Saw Kapi
Contd from previous issue
Determined, the ordinary citizens of the country, especially the youth – or Generation Z, as many now call them – keep returning to the streets, refusing to bow to the unjust orders of the junta. Having experienced a decade of increasing openness and freedom, these young people are done with military dictatorship; many are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the country’s future. Despite the brutal shooting to death of nearly 600 peaceful protesters since the coup, there seems to be no end in sight to the crisis. So long as they are willing to disobey the unjust laws, the military regime’s attempt to rule by force is not going to work.
Meanwhile, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), formed by elected Parliamentarians, has announced the abolition of military-drafted 2008 Constitution and released a two-part Federal Democracy Charter that includes a political roadmap and lays out the key principles on which the new Constitution will be based. The charter also includes a chapter on “formation of a new federal union army,” which is what the ethnic Nationalities have been calling for over the last 70 years to replace the abusive Tatmadaw with a diverse security force under civilian command. In addition, the CRPH says that a new National Unity Govt, hopefully more diverse and inclusive, will be announced in early April. These are all encouraging developments that the people of Myanmar heartily welcome, and it is hoped that the international community, most importantly the Govts of neighboring countries, will do the same in respect of the Myanmar people’s quest for federalism and democracy.
It is hard to say when the military junta will fall, but surely it is failing in all fronts. With the new level of political awareness among the new generation of different Nationalities and the recently announced Federal Democracy Charter, one can only hope that the people of Myanmar will be able to redeem themselves, restore democracy, and lead the way to a new dawn for a long-suffering country. Courtesy The Diplomat. Saw Kapi is the founding Director of Salween Institute for Public Policy.