‘A Taste of democracy’: Burmese Conception of Democracy in the Aftermath of the Coup

Abstract

In November 2020, the National League for Democracy, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory in the national elections in Myanmar. On February 1, 2021, before the first session of the parliament could convene, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, staged a coup and ousted the democratically elected government. In the aftermath of the coup, there have been widespread protests in Myanmar against the Tatmadaw’s rule. Burmese citizens have been advocating for a return to the democratic system, demanding the military to step down. The pro-democracy movement in the country has united different ethnic and religious groups against the military junta. It has also culminated into a Civil Disobedience Movement, as the people are trying to defeat the military. In light of this, as the movement continues against the Tatmadaw’s oppressive regime, my research looks into the conception of democracy among Burmese pro-democracy activists. This thesis attempts to understand how the activists in Myanmar perceive democracy, and what they believe are its central tenets, especially in the backdrop of the coup. To answer my question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the democracy activists. I used thematic analysis on my data, and employed concepts from the Democratic Theory, to present my findings. This thesis derives themes regarding the perception of the democratic system in Myanmar, prior to the coup, and the conception of democracy among the activists.