Democracy and an unequal revolution

July 23, 2016 12:05 am0 CommentsViews: 6

The population remains unbowed and unbent, determined for the march towards democracy to continue.
Myanmar remains on the path to becoming a full-fledged democracy, but one hopes that this path overcomes
the barriers of inequality and economic injustice as well, writes Vineet John Samuel
THE first step into Yangon International Airport is one that transports you to the land of freedom and
democracy promised by Aung San Suu Kyi in her emancipatory speeches. The plethora of retail food chains
and the large duty free liquor stores let one know that, neo-liberalism, better known as the harbinger consumer
emancipation, has well and truly arrived. As one walks through the terminals of glass and steel, one truly
wonders whether all this could simply be achieved with a transition (albeit incomplete transition) to
democracy?
However, the first step out of the very same airport is one that scratches the surface of this perceived
emancipation and brings you back to a rather grim reality. A reality that reminds you that even through its
democratic reforms, Myanmars struggles with inequality have only been given a neo-liberal polish. Nothing
explains this inequality more than the juxtaposition between the 8 lane main roads and the cars that ply them.
Yangon has turned a dumping ground for carmakers and the main roads, a legacy of British rule, have borne
the brunt of them.
As the iron curtain of dictatorship has been lifted, Myanmar has opened itself up to the free market and though
it is a universal truth that democratisation and liberalisation can do wonders for a people, the question that begs
to be asked is for which people and at what cost.
The onset of the free-market has created a scenario where malls have sprouted in the heart of Yangon while 23
per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. A gross urban bias in policy has led to rapid
urbanisation and has sent Yangon reeling under the strain of rural inflow. Of the 5.21 million inhabitants of the
city, a majority are subject to the routine power cuts and flooding that plagues the city every monsoon.
This is contrasted by a rural economy that doesnt have to worry about power cuts as most of the rural
countryside is disconnected from the national power grid as a whole. Myanmar, once the largest rice producer
in Asia, has succumbed to the pressures of policy imbalance and this has taken a toll on the agricultural sector
that accounts for 60 per cent of its GDP and employs 65 per cent of the total labour force. As policy makers
squabble over the ideal forms of industrialisation, in their wake they leave behind nearly 70 per cent of
Myanmars population that have historically experienced the worst of a culture of economic inequality.
While democratisation has given the people a voice and a freedom from persecution, it has so far failed to
counter the gross inequality that continues to persist in Myanmar as a result of 50 years of military rule. The
wealthy and privileged continue to remain oblivious to problems on the ground with their generators and
German made cars. The rise of new malls, restaurants and theatres has enabled the creation of a bubble where
one can completely bypass the acute poverty that surrounds them. The supermarkets boast collections that are
nearly entirely imported and Michelin starred chefs have set up shop to tap into the ultra-elite market niche of
businessmen and former generals that have cemented themselves as an inevitable phenomenon in Myanmars
democratic future.
Through all this however, the population remains unbowed and unbent, determined for the march towards
democracy to continue. After 50 years of accepting and imposed inequality and an unjust status quo, the march
towards democracy grows ever stronger. Constitutional barriers preventing democracy are perceived as
temporary and Yangon University continues to be a hot bed of protest and dissent. Myanmar remains on the
path to becoming a full-fledged democracy, but one hopes that this path overcomes the barriers of inequality
and economic injustice as well.
Vineet John Samuel is a student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a research intern at
ActionAid Mynamar.