Election Questions in Search of Answers

Imagine if in your country—the United States, perhaps, or Britain or Australia—a general election were held under the conditions Burma's electorate is now facing. What would your reaction be?

Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].

As election day approaches, more than 2,000 political prisoners are being confined by the regime, effectively locked out of the democratic process. Voters are being intimidated, political parties harassed and lists of their members are being handed to the police special branch, the media is silenced—if conditions like these reigned at election time in your country what would you say?

Last month, Burma's rulers, strictly following astrological “advice,” bestowed upon their country a new flag, seal and national anthem.

The order and instructions came from the regime leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who decreed that the old flags should be lowered by people born on a Tuesday and the new flags should be raised by people born on Wednesday. Then all the old flags were to be burned. What would you say if an order like this were issued in Washington, DC?

The regime's mass organization established in 1993 suddenly became a political party, the United Solidarity and Independence Party, claiming to have 20 million members and using state funds and large donations from the country's tycoons to build roads, bridges, temples, provide free medical care, clinics, agricultural loans and identity documents just to gain political advantage. If this were to happen in Britain what would your reaction be?

Regime propaganda, claiming that “disciplined flourishing democracy” is being introduced in Burma, blares constantly from state-run radio and television. If Australians were subject to election broadcasts like this, how would they react?

Indeed, the junta's 2008 Constitution is widely viewed as undemocratic and designed to legitimize military rule with a civilian form of government. The electoral laws exclude many important stakeholders for participating and voting, such as detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic Shan leader such as Hkun Htun Oo.

The junta has not created a political climate of freedom for the election. Political parties and voters have no freedom of speech, assembly and association in society.

The preparation and execution of the whole election process is in the hands of the Election Commission which was formed with 18 hand-picked members by the junta. The neutrality and independence of the commission doesn't meet minimum international standards.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations special rapporteur on Burma, recently released a report highlighting the plight of some of those political prisoners still held behind bars.

One prominent prisoner, Mya Aye, is suffering from unstable angina with a high risk of heart attack as well as a peptic ulcer.

Gen Sao Hso Ten, 74, a Shan ethnic politician serving a 106-year prison sentence for treason and violation of the unlawful Associations Act after participating in a private meeting of senior political representatives, is suffering from diabetes and heart disease.

Ashin Gambira, a young monk who was at the forefront of the 2007 uprising and now serving a 68 year prison sentence is in poor health and urgently in need of medication, according to young monks who know him.

I wonder if these cases are reported in Brussels and how European diplomats are reacting?

ႊTroubling reports from Burma surface daily as the election countdown continues. The authorities are now slowing down the internet service and hampering all attempts by journalists—local and foreign—to report on the election.

Foreign journalists wanting to report on the election are being denied visas. Local journalists working for foreign media will be allowed to visit a handful of polling stations on carefully programmed government tours.