Chapter 11 Populism in Myanmar
In: Populism in Asian DemocraciesSearch for other papers by Myat Thu in
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Ever since liberalization, Myanmar has witnessed an unprecedented rise of populism around religious nationalism. While populism maintains a binary nature between the “people” and the “corrupt elite,” it is not structured in that sense to reflect the general will of the people, as is often the case with populist systems in other countries. Therefore, this chapter seeks to discover the defining nature of the populist movement in Myanmar and the general motivating factors that drive the populists. It finds that populism in Myanmar is mostly right-wing, with emphasis on Buddhist religions and the Bamar nationality representing the “core values” of Myanmar society. Given that populism, in the relatively short history of Myanmar since liberalization, has found itself correlated with election cycles in the country, many political parties utilize this religious support to attack the human rights foundations that prevent the transition of the country into a full democracy. The chapter finds that groups like Ma Ba Tha continuously target religious minorities (namely Muslims) with support from the opposition party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, and the military.