Both the United States and Myanmar will be facing a monumental election that may decide the course of their governments closer or further from true democracies.
As Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders lead the United States polls for the upcoming presidential election, there is another election across the globe that is teetering on the other side of the political climate. Myanmar (Burma), a country that has been controlled by military junta since it’s independence from Britain in 1962, is at a critical political time where the November 8 polls may decide if the state will go forth as a truly democratic governing body.
As students at Ohio University who have registered to vote have the chance to let the U.S. continue on its path away from a true democracy or to possibly invoke change with the election of any number of candidates, while citizens in Myanmar will also be able to vote to put in place democracy or to continue a presidential republic mostly controlled by military strength.
More than anything, the U.S. was founded on the belief that every person can vote and have the freedom of speech, the inalienable rights of every man. If the people of the U.S. truly care about our democracy and cherish it in its purest form, this populace must also defend and support introduction of legitimate democracy in other nations, however far they may seem.
The U.S. proved to be a great example of a successful democracy thanks in part to the Constitution and also the consent and support of the citizens, but if this populace fails to uphold those values and reject laws like Citizens United, which essentially gives corporations the rights of people, this country won’t lead by example any longer.
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Myanmar’s present party of leadership is the Union Solidarity and Development Party, and though they have created a semi-democratic state since 2010, there have continued to be many influencing factors keeping them in power. The USDP has support from the country's military and this has largely kept the political arena closed for any changes.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a famous longtime democratic activist, is the leader of the opposition group known as the National League for Democracy, which stands for change of the political system in Myanmar. Suu Kyi said in a video statement posted Sept. 7 that “For the first time in decades, our people will have a real chance of bringing about real change. This is a chance that we cannot afford to let slip.”
It is no longer acceptable to be informed only of domestic politics because as the world becomes arguably “hyper-globalized”, the U.S. is looking through the window at the rest of the world across the room, and they are watching everything we do. If democracy cannot flourish here, then there may be less hope for other countries seeking to form a similar state.
Coconuts Yangon, a media organization based out of Bangkok, reported that at least 90 political parties are being represented at the polls. Not only is the election in Myanmar a presidential one, but also the NLD has more than 1,000 candidates for legislative seats within the country. Although the country is just beginning to transition to true democracy, their model is something that the U.S. should have been doing all along: abandoning the two-party system for a more pluralistic government.
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What is most important about these two elections is that both the U.S. and Myanmar stand to change very drastically or continue on previous paths, depending on who is elected. As citizens of a democratic state, students that are eligible to vote, are not only responsible for upholding the values of this country, but also they are responsible for supporting democracy across the globe as an ideal model of governance.
Brian Fogel is a freshman studying journalism and a photographer for The Post. What do you think about the election in Myanmar? Tweet him @FrianBogel or email him at bf111514@ohio.edu.
