US lawmakers doubt credibility of Myanmar elections

[Jonathan Fairfield]

US lawmakers doubt credibility of Myanmar elections

MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers voiced strong doubts Wednesday about the credibility of Nov. 8 elections seen as crucial for Myanmar's bumpy transition to democracy.

Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley complained the cards were "stacked" because the powerful military was guaranteed 25 percent of the parliamentary seats. He said the vote would not demonstrate the true intention of the Myanmar people.

Republican Rep. Matt Salmon called the Southeast Asian nation's shift from authoritarian rule "a systematically manipulated democratic transition."

"If the odds are intentionally in the ruling party's favor, but they have a clean election, how should the U.S. respond?" he asked a House foreign affairs panel that oversees Asia policy. He advocated restraint in expanding U.S.-Myanmar ties.

Asked how the State Department will assess the credibility of the election, top diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel, said the U.S. "will call it as we see it," including what it hears from political parties, election observers and Myanmar people and media.

He acknowledged there is "nothing fair" about the military's quota in parliament and the exclusion of 750,000 minority Rohingya Muslims from voter lists.

But he said that despite the defects, more than 90 parties, including that of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was contesting what would be a competitive vote, although Suu Kyi is still excluded by a junta-era constitution from running for president.

Russel said the U.S. would not turn a blind eye to shortcomings in the election process, and future U.S. assistance and relaxation of remaining sanctions would depend on the integrity of that process and transparency in formation of a new government.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been viewed as a success for the Obama administration policy of engaging adversaries. But as the quasi-civilian government has stalled on reforms and discriminated against Muslims, Washington has voiced criticism.

Russel warned that the politicization of religion in the Buddhist majority nation and the spread of hate speech could lead to violence, including on election day.

Republican Rep. Ed Royce called Myanmar's treatment of stateless Rohingyas "abhorrent."

He said that 140,000 have been displaced by violence and hundreds have been killed, and their plight has prompted an exodus to other Southeast Asian countries.

"This tragedy is what happens when a government refuses to recognize its own people," Royce said.

He called for the U.S. Treasury to blacklist human rights violators in the country. He said only one name has been added since the sectarian violence broke out three years ago.

Russel said the State Department, working with other U.S. government agencies, is "actively on the hunt" for legally viable cases.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-10-22

[Expat1]

That's ok. I and the Burmese (and many others) doubt the credibility of US elections. Chads, conveniently missing ballots, media airing some candidates while refusing others at their discretion, antiquated suspicious (corrupt?) Electoral College, etc, etc.. The USA elections have been a joke and a subject of derision for decades. The moral high ground there has long been missing.

If you live in a glass house probably best not to throw stones.

[Thaidream]

Well said Expat 1- my exact sentiments.

[retarius]

How about appointed Senates? I wonder if the US will like that in the new charter? And non-elected PMs?

[zaphod reborn]

That's ok. I and the Burmese (and many others) doubt the credibility of US elections. Chads, conveniently missing ballots, media airing some candidates while refusing others at their discretion, antiquated suspicious (corrupt?) Electoral College, etc, etc.. The USA elections have been a joke and a subject of derision for decades. The moral high ground there has long been missing. If you live in a glass house probably best not to throw stones.

Funny that the US is pushing for elections in Thailand. And do they expect that Thailand's elections would be more fair than Myanmar's? Have they ever been?

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

3 words come to mind....pot, kettle, black

[partington]

Stupid sentiments.

If the "democracy" is set up intentionally by the military to systematically favour the military this can be criticised by anybody anywhere, because it is still true.

It is still true if the person saying it is a mass murderer, or a military dictator. The facts remain the same, and the elections are in fact not democratic.

Moreover the failures of advanced western democracies to achieve complete and unassailable states of true democracy are rarely, if ever, due to a systematic pre-planning and pre-rigging of the democratic institutions to favour a particular group. In the US the separation of powers, the constitution, and the framework of elections were all set up to try to reduce corruption and manipulation by powerful social groups. It is a feature of all societies that individuals try, with more or less success, to actually manipulate the system, and usually the richest people have the most success.

However this is an unintended outcome of the systems, which are set up by intent to try to minimise undue influence. There is a great deal of difference between setting up systems as far as you can to eliminate unfair distribution of power, and systems like the Burmese, which are set up at the start by design precisely to give one section of society the major influence, at the expense of the others (see: future of Thailand).

One system has failed in its intention and one has succeeded. The starting intentions are different.

Be that as it may, democracy in the US, the EU and other western countries is without exception more representative of the people's wishes than the Burmese system, and this is not seriously in doubt.

[elgordo38]

That's ok. I and the Burmese (and many others) doubt the credibility of US elections. Chads, conveniently missing ballots, media airing some candidates while refusing others at their discretion, antiquated suspicious (corrupt?) Electoral College, etc, etc.. The USA elections have been a joke and a subject of derision for decades. The moral high ground there has long been missing. If you live in a glass house probably best not to throw stones.

Yes true. I heard rumours that there were less ballot boxes in Florida in predominately black voting districts who normally vote Democrat during the Al Gore vs Bush election. There is outright abuse and then sophisticated abuse take your pick.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

That's ok. I and the Burmese (and many others) doubt the credibility of US elections. Chads, conveniently missing ballots, media airing some candidates while refusing others at their discretion, antiquated suspicious (corrupt?) Electoral College, etc, etc.. The USA elections have been a joke and a subject of derision for decades. The moral high ground there has long been missing. If you live in a glass house probably best not to throw stones.

Yes true. I heard rumours that there were less ballot boxes in Florida in predominately black voting districts who normally vote Democrat during the Al Gore vs Bush election. There is outright abuse and then sophisticated abuse take your pick.

or the republicans trying to stop blacks from voting by pushing their fear campaign of voter fraud which is almost non existent.