The politics of boycott

After 22 years of military rule without a constitution, the Burmese state is gearing up to hold a parliamentary general election later this year. There has been little doubt that these polls would be highly managed by the junta government, but the final indicator of this came in late March, when the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) decided not to re-register the party to take part in the election. The decision will end the party's existence as a legal entity on 7 May, following the end of a stipulated 60-day registration period. Little is publicly known of the exact reasoning behind the party's decision, beyond a 6 April press release. This stated that the party had concluded that it would not re-register due to the recently unveiled election laws, which it termed "unfair and unjust". Among the new election regulations is the Political Parties Registration Law, which bars from the electoral process the more than 2000 political prisoners languishing in Burmese jails. These include the country's key democratic leadership, such as the head of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as ethnic Shan leader Khun Htun Oo and student leader Min Ko Naing. Yet in this context it is important to note that during the past 20 years, not a single one of the NLD's political goals have been met – political dialogue with the military for national reconciliation, honouring the 1990 election result, the release of all political prisoners, withdrawing the military from politics, etc. If this cumulative failure is behind the party's boycott decision, a firm adherence to the political integrity of the NLD leadership, particularly Suu Kyi, has led to the party's demise, at least for now.

Whether this decision is strategically sound has become a contentious issue among NLD supporters and members alike, and debates have erupted within what is generally a fairly restrained membership. The disappearance from politics of the NLD – a party that was founded during the 1988 people's movement, and whose members have carried high the flag of democracy since then – would clearly be a great loss, particularly given its record of maintaining both its strength and unity without major divisions during the past two decades. With the impending exit of the NLD, the political scene is already shifting to newly registered parties in the pre-election period. Even so, the absence of the NLD from the ballot will make the electoral exercise far less credible. In addition, the polls will almost certainly not improve Burma's relations with the regional and international community, and the sanctions imposed by the US and EU will remain in place.