"For a country so proud of our democracy, our official response has been embarrassingly muted."
Surely unaware of the supreme irony of their statement, military officials who overturned the results of a democratic election in Myanmar by staging a coup last week warned the public this week not to destroy democracy following four days of street protests.
In a statement on the government-run MRTV channel, the military warned that “democracy can be destroyed” without discipline, and that people who “harm the state’s stability, public safety and the rule of law” could face legal action.
After arresting Suu Kyi and other senior figures from her National League of Democracy on Feb. 1, the military declared a state of emergency for a year, justifying its move by alleging massive fraud in the Nov. 8, 2020 election that the NLD won by a landslide.
The country’s election commission, however, said there was no evidence to support the military’s claim, and the US-based Carter Center, which had more than 40 observers visiting polling stations on election day said voting had taken place “without major irregularities being reported by mission observers.”
A few days later, pro-democracy protests began.
Teachers and some government workers joined a civil disobedience movement, saying they will not work for the authorities unless the elected government is restored. When the military junta ordered Twitter and Instagram—then the entire internet—blocked, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the coup in Yangon and other cities. The protests were the biggest show of mass anger since 2007.
For a country so proud of our democracy, our official response has been embarrassingly muted.
A Palace spokesman refused to comment on the coup, saying the Philippines would not interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar. The government’s top priority, he added, was to ensure the safety of Filipinos there.
A day later, the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a contradictory and somewhat stronger statement, saying it was “following with deep concern the situation in Myanmar.”
“Myanmar has made substantial and important strides toward democratization in recent years. The Philippines has supported these efforts,” the statement added.
Still, neither statement was a condemnation of the naked power grab that took place in Myanmar or a forceful call for a swift return to democracy and the release of elected officials and activists.Surely, the country that once upon a time won the world’s admiration for its People Power revolution that restored democracy here can do better than that.