By THE IRRAWADDY
Shwe Mann, the speaker of Burma's lower house of Parliament, speaks to reporters in Naypyidaw on Nov. 25, 2011. (Photo: AP)
There is little danger that Burma's military will ever seize control of the country again, according to Shwe Mann, the speaker of the lower house of the country's nominally civilian Parliament.
“I don’t think it will happen in the future. We really understand the situation of the people and the country,” the former top general said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Monday.
Burma has experienced two coup d'etats since it achieved independence in 1948: one in 1962 that ended a brief era of parliamentary democracy, and another in 1988, when the military crushed a pro-democracy uprising that had brought down the previous military-dominated socialist regime.
Now that the military has introduced a new era of “disciplined democracy,” however, it is unlikely to turn back the clock again, said Shwe Mann.
“There is no other way than a democratic system,” he said.
His comments come amid speculation that hardliners within the current quasi-civilian government could seek to reverse a series of limited reforms that have been introduced since last year.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Jan. 5, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has strongly endorsed the reform efforts of President Thein Sein, warned that they were not “unstoppable” and will succeed only if the powerful military accepts the changes.
Under Burma's 2008 military-drafted constitution, the armed forces is guaranteed a key role in the country's political affairs. Chapter XI, article 417 of the charter also empowers the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to take full control of the government in the event of a threat to the nation's sovereignty.
However, the country's current commander-in-chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing, played down the likelihood of that ever happening when he met with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Bangkok on Jan. 10.
Htay Aung, a researcher with the Network for Democracy and Development, a Burmese NGO based in exile, agreed that the military wasn't likely to feel the need to seize power again, because it is already effectively in control of the country.
Meanwhile, a government minister confirmed on Tuesday that the Burmese army is under orders to halt its offensives against ethnic rebels, including the Kachin Independence Army, with which it has been fighting since last June.
“The order covers the whole country,” Khin Yi, the minister for immigration and population, told AFP in an interview.
He added, however, that the order has proven difficult to implement on the ground.
“Some of the grassroots level units, when on patrol duty, unexpectedly met each other and exchanged fire. Sometimes, the order didn’t reach the grassroots level,” he said.
Khin Yi also said the government plans to organize a meeting of all the country's ethnic armed groups if they agree to ceasefires. See Here
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