3 - Dreams and Nightmares: State Building and Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar (Burma)

Summary

Introduction

The nation-state in Myanmar is a post-colonial construction and the issue of national identity in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious setting has played a most significant role in state building since independence was gained from Britain in 1948. Fashioning a modern democratic Myanmar (Burmese) state from the multiple indigenous “nations” has been a daunting task for the ruling elite fraught with tensions between the majority Bamars (Burmans) and the other ethnic groups, especially on the issue of autonomy for the latter who have held long-standing grievances against majority rule. The task is made more difficult by nearly half a century of strife brought about by ethnic rebellions. Attempts to prevent, manage, and end ethnic conflict by the successive governments of Myanmar through constitutional arrangements, military suppression, and peace overtures failed to produce satisfactory results until the present military regime decided to offer a radical formula for peace-making. Their efforts resulted in an unprecedented arc of peace spanning most of Myanmar's border regions that are occupied by some 17 major insurgent groups. Only a breakaway Shan faction and the Kayins (Karens) remain unconvinced of the junta's overtures and continue their armed struggle for self-determination. Armed groups that have made peace with the government continue to control quasi-autonomous zones, and serve as a counterweight to the centralising tendencies of the regime that has now become conflated with the state. The ruling junta has been trying to come up with a constitutional formula that would satisfy the ethnic groups’ desire for self-determination while retaining the unitary nature of the state. They use efforts towards regional development as an incentive. Meanwhile those remaining in armed struggle and exile abroad have been calling for a “genuine” federal constitution. The ongoing dialogue between the junta and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is regarded by many as the leader of the democratic movement, has significant bearing on the political calculus of ethnic relations as well as the ethnic groups clamouring for a tripartite dialogue. This paper attempts to highlight these issues in a historical context and examine current attempts by the Myanmar government to manage and end ethnic conflict in its bid to establish a “disciplined democracy”.