History made in Myanmar: Cornell professors comment on outcome of elections
Newswise — The results in one of Myanmar’s freest elections in a generation are in, and the National League for Democracy – lead by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi – won by a landslide. Magnus Fiskesjö, an associate professor in Cornell’s department of anthropology and expert on Southeast Asia, says it’s possible this election will become a milestone on the road to a stable democracy.Bio: www.anthropology.cornell.edu/people/detail.cfm?netid=nf42 Fiskesjö says:“The elections in Burma – also known as Myanmar – are important for the country as well as for Asia and the world. For Burma, it is very much possible that this election becomes a milestone on the road to a stable democracy where people choose and change their own government in an orderly and peaceful way. For the rest of Asia and indeed the world, this would be a very welcome outcome. In many places, there is an ongoing and ominous backlash against democracy and a descent into authoritarianism.
“Many issues remain for Burma to deal with, including how to safeguard human rights and manage their multiethnic and indeed multi-faith country. But in holding this election after nearly 50 years of military rule and civil war, it has already held up an admirable example for the rest of the world.” ———————-
Robert Lieberman, senior lecturer at Cornell University, is the director of the feature film “They call it Myanmar,” a 2012 documentary film shot clandestinely over a four year period. Lieberman is working on a documentary on Cambodia “Breaking Baksbat”, which will be completed early next year. He says the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi does not guarantee that her party will end cronyism and corruption in the country.Bio: www.physics.cornell.edu/professorspeople/lecturers/?page=website/lecturers&action=show/id=7
Lieberman says:“Although she can’t run for president, will be running the National League for Democracy, and hence she will have a real say in the government. That said, her influence – and that of her party – will continue to be limited since the military have a guaranteed 25 percent of the parliamentary seats.
“Most importantly, the resources of the country remain in the hands of the military and their cronies. Myanmar is a country rich in natural resources: oil and gas, minerals including jade, rubies and diamonds, plus rich agricultural lands and timber. The big question now is who is going to benefit from the sale of those resources.
“Leases are being signed, with China and with other countries. There is a vast development planned by a Thai conglomerate for Eastern Myanmar: 100 square miles that will include a port, petrochemical plants, refineries and heavy industry. It is unclear whether the National League for Democracy will have the clout and leadership to dent the military’s monopoly on such deals. And will the it be able to control the environmental impact that this enormous undertaking?
“In neighboring Cambodia, where we have been shooting our new film, corruption is crippling the country, and without safeguards that could also be Myanmar’s future.”
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