The Fractured Centre: ‘Two-headed government’ and threats to the peace process in Myanmar

Abstract This article analyses the evolving nature and dynamics of the relationship between the centre and the periphery by examining how semi-democratic reforms have shaped and influenced the peace negotiation process between the government and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) since 2011. We demonstrate that while the 2008 constitution has reduced restrictions on political, economic, and cultural activities in Myanmar, it has also inevitably produced a ‘two-headed government’ after the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), took charge in 2016 and was forced to share power with the military. This ‘two-headed’ government is the result of the historical distrust between the NLD and the army, combined with the NLD's lack of a clear strategy in dealing with EAOs. This has enabled the army to assert its well-articulated and hardline approach—without itself having an effective strategy or the capacity to end the country's armed insurgencies or bring the peace process forward. We show that the split at the centre has produced inertia and weakened the ability of the central government to formulate and implement effective policy, and further undermined the prospects for national reconciliation. Situating this case study within the wider literature of centre–periphery relationships and democratic transition, this article offers a nuanced and comprehensive analysis of how specific institutional arrangements at the centre in semi-democratic settings affect relations in both the centre and the periphery, as well as centre–periphery relationships.

Myanmar’s ethnic parties will unite as polls approach

10.1108/oxan-db245678 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Peace Process ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Armed Groups ◽

Content Type ◽

Ethnic Parties ◽

Political Landscape ◽

National League ◽

The Government ◽

Subject Myanmar's political landscape ahead of next year's elections. Significance As the next general election appears on the horizon, parliament last month began debating possible amendments to the constitution. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), which controls the civilian portion of government, wants to reduce the military’s reserved parliamentary quota. Meanwhile, the NLD faces increased criticism from parties representing the country’s ethnic minorities. Impacts There is unlikely to be any progress in the country's peace process, aimed at ending conflicts between the military and ethnic armed groups. The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party will aim to enhance its internal organisation. As attention turns to the polls, the government will devote even fewer resources than currently to resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Myanmar peace effort could falter after March

10.1108/oxan-db208083 ◽

2016 ◽

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Groups ◽

Peace Process ◽

Islamic State ◽

Content Type ◽

Peace Negotiations ◽

Aung San Suu Kyi ◽

National League ◽

The Government ◽

State Group ◽

Subject Prospects for the peace process with ethnic groups under the incoming National League for Democracy government. Significance Peace negotiations between the government, ethnic armed groups (EAGs) and the military (Tatmadaw) were discussed when National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Tatmadaw chief Min Aung Hlaing on January 25. This followed the Union Peace Conference (UPC) round held oon January 12-16, which also involved outgoing President Thein Sein, and which marked Suu Kyi's official debut in the peace process. Impacts Progressing peace in Rakhine State could help Myanmar reduce Islamic State group threats. To protect its interests, the military could stymie peace talks by restarting conflict in ethnic areas. The NLD may soften its stance on federalism to keep the military aboard, but likely thus alienating ethnic groups.

Myanmar Panglong meeting will be modest success

10.1108/oxan-db213132 ◽

2016 ◽

Keyword(s):

Peace Process ◽

Content Type ◽

Political Dialogue ◽

Civil Conflicts ◽

Adequate Response ◽

National League ◽

International Donors ◽

The Government ◽

National Reconciliation ◽

Sticking Point

Subject Outlook for Myanmar's Panglong conference, beginning on August 31. Significance Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government will convene the '21st Century Panglong' peace conference on August 31; today, government, political party and ethnic representatives are reviewing the political dialogue framework for the conference and seeking to finalise agreements, while yesterday a Panglong convening committee was assembled. Billed as the next step in Myanmar's national reconciliation and peace process, the name invokes the 1947 Panglong conference. However, critical questions remain over the 2016 meeting's scope and attendees, and whether it will provide an adequate response to Myanmar's protracted civil conflicts. Impacts A successful conference would bolster the government politically, and encourage international donors and investors. Excluding civil society groups from future conferences could exacerbate frictions. The talks will likely reveal tough remaining obstacles to a true nation-wide ceasefire, even if non-signatory EAGs are included. Chinese influence over the peace process will be a sticking point, potentially igniting nationalist concern.

Myanmar's partial ceasefire faces precarious future

10.1108/oxan-db205854 ◽

2015 ◽

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Groups ◽

Armed Groups ◽

National Elections ◽

Content Type ◽

National League ◽

The Government ◽

Subject Outlook for Myanmar's ceasefire process after eight ethnic armed groups agreed to sign up. Significance Myanmar's government will sign a ceasefire agreement on October 15. Despite the deal's "nationwide" title it covers only eight of 15 ethnic armed groups, raising security and political concerns ahead of national elections on November 8. Impacts The government will push for current non-signatory ethnic armed groups to join the ceasefire. The National League for Democracy will foster links with ethnic groups, anticipating the post-election period. The military vote may be used to manipulate the election's result.

Myanmar armed groups eye leverage through 2020 poll

10.1108/oxan-db249999 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Peace Process ◽

The State ◽

General Election ◽

Armed Groups ◽

Content Type ◽

China And India ◽

Ethnic Parties ◽

National League ◽

Step Down ◽

The Government

Subject Situation regarding Myanmar's ethnic armed organisations. Significance The government and military in Myanmar and leaders of ten ethnically based guerrilla groups that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) last week pledged to step up their commitment to the peace process, to transform the NCA into a lasting settlement. Several other armed groups are still in conflict with the state, notwithstanding occasional ceasefires. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) will very likely retain control over the civilian part of government following this year’s general election, but ethnic parties will probably make parliamentary gains at its expense. Impacts Suu Kyi is very unlikely to face pressure to step down even if the NLD’s parliamentary majority is heavily reduced. Even with increased seat share in parliament, ethnic parties will struggle to influence policy. China and India will double down on their support for the Myanmar military.

Role of the government in the implementation of local development case study on national programa local development

International Journal of Development Research ◽

10.37118/ijdr.21883.05.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 47220-47231

Keyword(s):

Central Government ◽

Local Development ◽

National Development ◽

Physical Development ◽

Process Data ◽

Role Of Government ◽

The Government ◽

Role Of The Government

This thesis is entitled “ The Role of Government in the Implementation of Local Development (Case Study in the Administrative Post of Uatolari) “ Local development is a measure of national development where the development growth in an advanced sub-district will automatically reflect the development itself. In the sub-district, development has been carried out which in the research will highlight physical development. Physical development in the sub-district in accordance with its implementation has not reached the planned target in accordance with the expectations of the community in the Uatolari sub-district. Thus, the problem can be formulated as follows: How is the government role in implementing local development?. The theoretical basis used in this chapter, the writer wants to explain the theory according to Prajudi (2000), the role of government in the implementation of development, while the method used in this research is descriptive method with research techniques such as qualitative data analysis, the subject of what is being studied is The functions and tasks that exist in the Uatolari sub-district and the object under study are affirming the implementation of physical development in the Uatolari sub-district consisting of 6 people, the instruments used are observation, interviews, documentation and interviews (asking and answering) to collect data and to process data to completion. The conclusion from the research results found that the role of the government in implementation in the uatolari sub-district is still lacking due to a lack of control, therefore it is necessary for the central government to monitor, supervise the physical development that is being built or in progress so that it will accelerate according to the specified time. Recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Development to pay attention to the Viqueque district national development agency in order to accelerate the process of implementing local development, in accordance with the expectations of the community, especially the ongoing infrastructure development in accordance with the national development strategic plan.

Discourse of Pakistan's Identity under Strand of Liberal Citizenship: A Case Study of Musharraf Education Policy Reforms

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ) ◽

10.47264/idea.lassij/4.1.17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 189-202

Author(s):

Shafique Qurban ◽

Husnul Amin ◽

Maryam Siddiqa

Keyword(s):

Education Reform ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Policy Reforms ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Effective Implementation ◽

Effective Policy ◽

Policy Measures ◽

The Government ◽

Liberal Citizenship

Keeping in view the political shifts in the wake of 9/11 incident, new social and political trends/concepts have emerged which affected the nations across the world particularly the Muslim world, wherein a wave of extremism and conservatism was seen to be set in. In consequence, Pakistan embarked upon to make reforms in the curriculum to avoid that wave. Accordingly, Musharraf government has adopted education reform under the banner of enlightened moderation and introduced curriculum to construct Pakistani nationalism in the context of liberal citizenship to curtail the issues like extremism and conservatism spread under the slogan of Islamization. This study pinpoints the overall impact of Musharraf policy changes upon curriculum and its role in the construction of liberal citizenship. This study uses secondary data in the shape of policy texts and curriculum of social studies. This study uses discourse analysis to analyse policy text and curriculum. The findings of the study have pointed out that the government has introduced modern contents such as life skills and scientific knowledge to tackle prevailing issues by removing biased and outdated contents from existing curricula. This study has recommended that effective policy measures to construct liberal citizenship should only be realized with effective implementation.

PPP for Metro Project: A Case Study of Hyderabad Metro

International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering - 2 ◽

10.35940/ijrte.a5921.0710221 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 51-55

Author(s):

Darshit Mehta ◽

◽

Jagath Kumari Dungi ◽

Keyword(s):

Central Government ◽

Public Private Partnership ◽

Financial Assistance ◽

Private Partnership ◽

The Government ◽

Metro Project ◽

Made In

The new metro rail policy was enacted by the government of India in the year 2017. Under this policy, under section xiv, the Government of India (GOI) made it compulsory to seek Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for metro projects which are intending to seek financial assistance from the central government. Hyderabad Metro is by far the largest metro project to be executed under PPP, but is it successful? This paper investigates various factors that affected the timeline of the Hyderabad metro. It evaluates various aspects in the preconstruction, construction, and post-construction phase of the Hyderabad metro. Finally, suggestions are made in the form of conclusions that would increase the likelihood of a successful PPP in the metro.

Myanmar’s garment sector will struggle to endure

10.1108/oxan-db239705 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Illegal Migration ◽

Content Type ◽

Garment Workers ◽

Garment Factory ◽

National League ◽

The Government ◽

The Military ◽

The Eu

Subject Myanmar's garment industry. Significance A strike at a Chinese-owned garment factory that began in August has just been resolved. In early October, the EU said it was considering withdrawing Myanmar’s generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) tariff status in response to the country’s human rights record in ethnic minority areas. Impacts Garment workers could be prompted to seek illegal migration to neighbouring countries such as Thailand in search of employment. The National League for Democracy, which controls the civilian portion of the government, will lose support ahead of the 2020 elections. The military is likely to be hit by more US sanctions over the Rohingya crisis.

Barriers to Implementing Pro-Cycling Policies: A Case Study of Hamburg

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10114196 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 4196 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Luqi Wang

Keyword(s):

Travel Behavior ◽

Action Plan ◽

Physical Space ◽

Negotiation Process ◽

Political Support ◽

Policy Interventions ◽

Effective Policy ◽

Mode Of Transport ◽

The City

Cycling is gaining increasing attention as a convenient, environmentally friendly, and fitness-improving mode of transport. While many policy interventions have been made to promote cycling, not enough research has focused on the barriers to implementing pro-cycling policies. For effective policy implementation, identifying major barriers and removing them is critical. This study took an in-depth look at Hamburg which started a major cycling promotion in 2008. According to expert interviews and literature surveys, the author found that the major barriers are physical, political and institutional, and social and cultural. Specifically, the city lacks enough physical space, political support, and the evaluation of travel behavior and demand. Also, some private stakeholders are reluctant to give up on-street car parking space for cycling lanes, and the negotiation process is difficult and time-consuming. To overcome these barriers, Hamburg requires cycling-oriented urban design, a strategic and integrated cycling action plan, strong political support, and target group-oriented communication.