What’s going on in Myanmar? A coup? Yes. But, how did we get here? To answer that question, we have to go back into the past – as we so often do – and find out the power dynamics there.
In order to understand the present-day conflict of Myanmar, or Burma as it was previously called, let’s focus on certain groups which constitute a significant part of the stakeholders in the country’s past and present politics.
Buddhist Population:
Close to 90% of the Burmese population practices Buddhism, with most of them following the Theravada school of thought. Buddhism has existed in the country for over two thousand years, but it was in the year 1057 when the king Anawrahta founded the first unified Myanmar state that it became the state religion. Following this, many other dynasties emerged and perished, and Buddhism continued to be the majority religion. That’s why, for a vast number of people, the national identity pretty much means the Buddhist identity.
Rohingya Muslims:
Islam had reached Myanmar quite early through religious clerics, traders and even invaders. But we are not talking about the Muslims in the mainland Myanmar. We are talking about the Arakan region (now known as Rakhine state) which existed as a separate state prior to 1824. This is where the Rohingya Muslims have lived traditionally. Following the first Anglo-Burmese war (1824-26), the Arakan region became an integral part of Burma. At the same time, this was when the first seeds of the whole conflict were being sown. As the Britishers moved a large number of labourers from Bengal (India and Bangladesh) to this region, many of these labourers stayed there and never went back. The native Burmese people saw these labourers as foreigners and the assimilation never happened. In the next two centuries, this was going to become a huge crisis.
British Colonialism:
Burma became a province of British India in 1885-86. In 1937, the British separated it from India and turned it into a separate crown colony. This is where the first troubles emerged. British were well known for their ‘Divide and Rule’ policy wherever they ruled. The story has been the same in the Indian subcontinent where they have been accused of creating polarisation between Hindus and Muslims, Buddhists and Muslims etc. In Burma’s case, many Burmese Buddhists believed that they were favouring Muslims over Buddhists. This became clearer after the British promised a separate country to Rohingya Muslims. It was supposed to be something like Pakistan or perhaps making it a part of Eastern Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh.
The Burmese Army
The previous reference to Pakistan is not coincidental. In fact, the relationship between the elected government and the army bears stark resemblance to that in Pakistan. Just like Pakistan, the Army was quite powerful ever since the country was liberated from the British. Aung San, the founder of Myanmar Armed Forces and father of Aung San Suu Kyi first led his forces against the British when Japan invaded Burma in 1942 and later turned against the Japanese. When he became the Premier in 1945, he was only one among many military commanders who were going to get into the political affairs.
Following the assassination of Aung San in 1947, there has been a cat and mouse game between the Army and the politicians. Myanmar is one of the rare countries where a certain percentage of parliament seats is reserved for the Army personnel. But the Army’s role has not been limited to just participating in politics. There have been coups, and ousting and detention of politicians. The current state of emergency and the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi is only another chapter in the long history of the Myanmar politics which keeps alternating between democracy and military dictatorship.
Lastly, putting all the blame on politicians or the army or the British colonialists does not tell the entire story. The Burmese people themselves have been engaged in a number of internal conflicts that don’t seem to end. The Rohingya crisis is only one of them. These conflicts have largely been ethnic-based, with several ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar’s armed forces. Despite numerous ceasefires and the creation of autonomous self-administered zones in 2008, many groups continue to call for independence, increased autonomy, or the federalisation of the country. The conflict is also the world’s longest ongoing civil war, having spanned more than seven decades.
Recommended Books:
Burmese Days by George Orwell (A novel based in colonial Burma for insights on colonial power structure, racism, etc.)
Golden Earth by Norman Lewis (A travel account of the 20th century Burma, its politics and ethnic polarisation)
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig (A novel which combines facts with fiction to give the insights on life in the 20the century Burma and guerrilla warfare)
Kalampedia 