Report June 2014 Executive summary By Kristin Jesnes Developing relations: political parties and civil society in Myanmar In late 2011 President Thein Sein of Myanmar initiated democratic reforms that marked the end of the military regime. Since then, space has opened up for civil society to engage with political parties, and vice versa. Drawing on interviews with politicians and civil society activists, local and international experts on Myanmar, and lectures and conference debates, this report discusses the nature of the relationships that are emerging between political parties and civil society in the early stages of the transitional period. It would appear that relations between political parties and civil society are currently limited, informal and based on personal connections. The emerging political and civil society actors are in the process of identifying their roles in society and their relations to one another. Lack of experience with democratic governance after decades of civil war and military rule makes the process of building relationships tenuous. Continued legal constraints, the imprisonment of activists and weak regional government bodies further thwart interaction between political and civil society actors. Introduction In late 2011 the newly elected president of Myanmar, Thein Sein, initiated democratic reforms that marked the end of the military regime. The reforms opened up space for civil society 1 to work openly on human rights and democratic issues, and the relatively more inclusive 2012 by-elections allowed civil society organisations (CSOs) to engage with political parties, and vice versa. However, after decades of military rule and civil war there is little experience among CSOs, political parties and other political actors, including the government, ethnic armed groups or the military (known as the Tatmadaw), of either how to organise their own work or relate to one another. Local and international actors are trying to find their way through the new landscape of emerging political parties and CSOs where everyone seems to have different agendas, with some aiming to promote change, while others are attempting to preserve their power. Myanmar is still in its early stages of transition, but there are expectations, both from within the country and among international actors, of a quick shift to democracy. Two critical processes – the negotiations for a national ceasefire and the 2015 general elections – present opportunities for and challenges to the democratic process in Myanmar. One of the roles of civil society is to support political parties in democratic development, and hence it is relevant to explore how political parties and CSOs in Myanmar interact and what constraints, if any, hinder future engagement. This report is an attempt to (i) give an overview of political parties and local CSOs in Myanmar today; (ii) explore the emerging relations between political parties and civil society; and (iii) outline the legal and social constraints on CSO-political party engagement. The report draws on interviews with politicians and civil society activists, local and international experts on Myanmar, and lectures and debates held during a conference on Political Parties and Citizens in Yangon in November 2013. 2 Mapping political parties and civil society in Myanmar New political landscape The seven-step road map to democracy announced by the military junta – the State Peace and Development Council 1 Steinberg (1997) defines civil society as “those institutions and groupings that are outside of government. … It is also obvious that such independence is relative, and as no individual can be isolated, so no institution within a societal framework stands completely alone” (in Kramer, 2011: 14). In other words, a CSO might be defined as independent of the state with regard to purpose and daily activities, but interaction with the state is to a certain extent expected. Complementing Steinberg’s definition are the characteristics of having a purpose, being not for profit and using peaceful means (Kramer, 2011: 5). 2 The conference was organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the Asia-Europe Foundation, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Sun Institute.