Contemporary Myanmar: Challenges to Political Process and Reconciliation

This paper outlines the political reforms and reconciliation process presently underway in Myanmar and the challenges posed to it. A detailed analysis of changing power dynamics in Myanmar, and the relationship between NLD leader and head of Opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military has been elucidated. The peace processes initiated with ethnic minorities, the reform agenda of the new regime, and challenges to democratisation and economic reforms have been addressed to emphasise that whilst procedural democracy has been established, the stability and survival of the regime would rest on the deepening of democracy and its consolidation. In the light of this assertion, the author argues that institutions of liberal democracy must take deep roots in society for an inclusive and substantive mechanism of governance to be sustained.