NSU hosts seminar on democracy in Myanmar

Commemorating Myanmar's military coup that occurred on 1 February 2021, a webinar titled "Restoring Democracy in Myanmar: One year after the military coup" was arranged by the Center for Peace Studies (CPS) of the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) at North South University.   

Brigadier General Dr Shafaat Ahmad (Retd.), a faculty member of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) graced the event held Monday (31 January) as the keynote speaker. 

In his speech, he elaborated Myanmar's internal political dynamics, the characteristics and strategic culture of its Military, the Tatmadaw; Myanmar's geopolitical environment, including the interests of China, India, the United States, Japan, the European Union, and the ASEAN. 
He reiterated in his presentation that Tatmadaw remains an active player in Myanmar's relationships with the external powers through its defense diplomacy. 

He also added that no country intends to intervene directly in the internal affairs of another country, as this may raise all sorts of international legal and political complications. He also expressed uncertainty that the prospects of opposition military victory against the Tatmadaw are slim now; and thus, the restoration of democracy is very bleak in Myanmar. 

Dr Mahbubur Rahman, Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology (PSS), NSU stated that international failure to restore democracy in Myanmar may lead to unprecedented negative consequences for its people and jeopardise regional security. 
 
Therefore, the international community must support and validate the pro-democracy National Unity Government (NUG) to ensure democracy and bring peace.   
 
As a discussant, Dr Mahbubul Haque, a faculty member of the Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia, provided his valuable insights on the inherent issues in Myanmar's state-building process. 
 
Ambassador Sufiur Rahman, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, emphasised the importance of Bangladesh's involvement in resolving Myanmar's ongoing challenges, and that it must express its displeasure to Western and Northern actors.