Since last November when Suu Kyi’s (also known as Amay Suu) NlD won by a landslide in the national election of Myanmar, the contours of the country’s first civilian government have started taking shape. By March end, Myanmar’s Tatmadaw (the Army) has finally and peacefully relinquished power to the democratically elected government of NlD. As the current Constitution of Myanmar prohibits anyone with a foreign spouse or child from becoming the President (Article 59F), so she has to install a ‘proxy’who would listen to her dictates only.
Finally she finds HtinKyaw, an old friend and a political novice, the right choice for the President’s post and her NlD elects him unanimously. The man who joins the NlD only last year heads a government wherein no minister had previous experience of holding any public office including Suu Kyi, runs the risk of bringing Myanmar into the vortex of another crisis once again. The reason behind is that the 2008 Constitution formally entrusts the Tatmadaw three crucial ministries: border , defence and home affairs and assigns 25% of seats in both the legislatures to the Tatmadaw who may make it really difficult for the NlD to pass any important bills like amending the Constitution. In case HtinKyaw fails to perform, it is the first Vice President MyintSwewho hails from the Army, would automatically take over power from him.
Despite having all these intricacies including the much debated Rohingya issue, Maa Suu is functioning like a ‘democratic dictator’ by putting her ‘seal of approval’ on every aspect of the government. Though she currently functions as the ‘Spokeswoman of the President’, yet she literally controls all the levers of power which is increasingly becoming a point of irritation both for the aspiring new legislators of the NlD and for the just dethroned ‘Generals’ from the hot seat of power. And finally her strong public pronouncements like ‘she will rule above the President’ even before the formation of the Government, further complicates Myanmar’s fragile transition to democracy.
But then how long Myanmar would be under the shadow of Amay SuuIJ
