Bini Dahal

Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi had been under house arrest for 15 years until 2010. During that period, Suu Kyi's peaceful fight for democracy and rule of law had transformed her from a national figure into a global icon of democracy. Her constant non-violent struggle against the country's military junta for so many years showed that she had strong political will and huge patience.
Suu Kyi was able to win the Nobel Peace Prize and many other accolades. Five years after her release from the house arrest, she came to power through a historic general election. As her National League for Democracy (NLD) made a landslide victory in the election, the protracted despotic military rule came to an end.
Though that single win had created a lot of hope for Myanmar's democracy being free from the unwanted military regime, it has proven to be impossible. This was quite evident in 2017 when the issue of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslim by the military arose.
When asked to stand in front of the International Court, she termed the reports on acts of genocide as "misinformation" and blamed the region's problems the "terrorists". Myanmar's military was very strong in terms of defense and security matters as it only gave up some powers in the transition to partial democracy.
In the wake of that brutal suppression against the Rohingya Muslim, Suu Kyi was forced to give up some of her accolades and was criticised vehemently for her words. Though she lost her popularity internationally, she is still considered a national icon.
Suu Kyi's party got a sweeping victory even in the November 2020 election. But the military was not ready to accept the election results as another party close to the army lost to the NLD. The ambitious military leadership has recently taken over power and detained Suu Kyi along with other leaders of her party. The military junta has taken such an undemocratic, accusing that there was massive fraud in the election. The country's military chief Min Aung Hlaing has received the power and imposed a state of emergency for a year.
With Suu Kyi’s whereabouts unknown, the NLD has urged people not to accept the coup and launch a protest against it. As Myanmar's democracy is very weak, the military's latest move has exacerbated the country's condition.
Many countries have condemned the coup. The United States and some other nations have warned of imposing sanctions against Myanmar's military. Suu Kyi has always been a glimmer of hope for millions of people in Myanmar who want to get out of the military rule. But unless the state power is revoked from the army, in no way will partial democracy fulfill the needs and aspirations of people.
A probe report prepared by the United Nations (UN) in 2018 calls for top generals to be prosecuted for “genocide” against the minority Rohingya Muslim. The global body stated that the country’s civilian leadership should work on removing the military from Myanmar’s political life. If this is not done, Myanmar’s democracy may face unnecessary military interventions time and again.
In today’s world, democratic rights are very important. The military’s autocratic activities can cause damage to any country's reputation and give rise to social and political unrests. International community, civil society and media must pile pressure on the military to restore democracy.