缅甸民主还有很遥远的路要走

果敢女孩

       所谓的民选政府其实只是一群演戏的群众，它们只有非常可怜的权限，几乎不能决定什么，所有一切还要由军方领导人来决定，军方拥有绝对的否决权。民选政府的唯一作用就是站在前台帮缅军方做秀和洗地，能把国际社会哄高兴和开心，它们的使命也就完成了。

uch of the coverage of domestic politics in Burma focuses on the divide between the military-dominated government of President Thein Sein and the opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet in some ways the more interesting story is the growing split between the military and the ruling party. Even though the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was originally created to enshrine military rule, it has lately been showing signs of a more independent course.
On July 10, USDP legislators failed in their attempt to pass an amendment to Burma’s 2008 constitution that would have ensured greater decentralization when their effort ran afoul of the military bloc in the legislature. Members of parliament representing the armed forces (who are appointed to their seats by the military, not elected) quashed the amendment.
Lawmakers from the ruling party had proposed changing a constitutional provision, known as Article 261, that gives the president the power to name the heads of Burma’s fourteen regions. The constitution additionally gives the president the power to dismiss or reshuffle these regional leaders, known as chief ministers, at his or her own discretion. The regional governments have zero say in the matter.
The reformers proposed allowing regional parliaments to elect the chief ministers instead. One argument for the change was that it would help to pave the way toward national reconciliation between the central government and ethnic minorities, who predominate in some of the regions. The ethnic minorities started fighting for their rights not long after Burma achieved independence from Great Britain in 1948, and the country’s civil war has continued ever since.
“Amending Article 261 is a key to building trust within the union,” said Thein Nyunt, an outspoken lawmaker from Rangoon, referring to the controversial provision. “It’s important. It’s a matter of national reconciliation.”
The military’s refusal to countenance even such a modest change to the constitution has come as a surprise to many. The USDP proba