Burma’s Sham Referendum

^{By Sean Asbley
Simon Fraser University}
 
While the world sat fixated on the destruction caused by cyclone Nargis, the Burmese junta pushed ahead with a national referendum to approve their new constitution. The vote was held on May 10 across two thirds of the country and was delayed for two weeks in the areas devastated by the storm. The delay mattered little, as the junta announced that 97 percent of ballots cast on May 10 approved the constitution. This was enough to make the results from the other one third of the country irrelevant. When people in the cyclone affected region voted on May 24, the junta announced that there was a 93 percent turnout at the polls, with 92.93 percent voting “yes.”
 
The new constitution was drafted over a 14 year period by 1,000 hand-picked delegates who formed the National Convention. The National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi’s party who won the 1990 general elections, boycotted the convention, arguing that the process was undemocratic and did not reflect the wishes of the people. Critics have argued that the new constitution will enshrine the dictatorship forever, as it gives 25 percent of the seats in parliament to the military and stipulates that the president hand over power to the army in case of a national emergency.
 
I visited Shan State during the May 10 referendum and spoke with a number of people there about what was happening on the ground. In one township I was shown numbered ballots which had been distributed by local authorities so that the government would know which way people voted. There was some talk in this particular township about boycotting the referendum, but in the end locals opposed to the constitution decided to push ahead with their illegal ‘no’ vote campaign. The government made any criticism of the constitution illegal, including any campaigning against its passage. The junta’s own ‘education’ campaign was limited to explaining how to vote yes. Posters around town showed how a proper check-mark was made, and warned the public against ‘evil external influences’ who were threatening the nation’s march towards democracy. The fact that an ‘X’ was needed to register a ‘no’ vote was not mentioned, so an underground education campaign was conducted, spearheaded by members of the NLD.
 
Besides propaganda and knowledge suppression there was also a lot of intimidation at the polls. On referendum day the streets of most townships were full of soldiers. Heavily armed men stood by the voting booths making sure that people voted ‘yes.’ In some townships it was reported that people had their ballots ripped out their hands and a ‘yes’ vote marked on it by polling station officials. Burma’s Sham Referendum.
 
Given the widespread ambivalence and outright disgust with the new constitution it is highly unlikely that over 90 percent of the population voted yes, even in the face of intimidation and vote marking. State reports that 93 percent of people in the cyclone affected areas turned out to vote, and overwhelmingly vote ‘yes,’ makes the whole process laughable, if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.