[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S6628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on an entirely different matter, as 
we continue to complete the process of our own election here at home, 
there is also news on the continued growth of democracy half a world 
away.
  My colleagues know that I have had a special interest in the 
democratic aspirations of the people of Burma for decades, dating back 
to my days leading the Appropriations Subcommittee for State and 
Foreign Operations.
  Burma held elections on Sunday, which we hope will represent another 
step toward a more democratic and prosperous future. For too long, the 
people of Burma were denied democracy by a brutal military junta. To 
this day, its influence remains a significant impediment to progress. 
And as with many new democracies, the elections faced many challenges, 
ranging from continued conflict to the coronavirus pandemic.
  But when the votes are counted and Burma's next government is seated, 
more hard work will await. The government will need to continue 
advancing Burma's democratic development. Its sovereignty must be 
defended against the corrupting foreign influence of the People's 
Republic of China. The nation needs true national reconciliation among 
Burma's various ethnic groups and further economic reforms to benefit 
all of its people.
  Further progress will take real compromise and real sacrifice from 
parties and interests within Burma, and it will need continued support 
from the international community, particularly the United States.
  I have known Daw Suu for many years and know she remains committed to 
democracy. So I hope and expect that if she and her party are the 
victors, her government will seek much needed constitutional, economic, 
and security sector reforms to further limit the corrosive influence of 
the military and the crony networks over so much of the life in Burma.
  We are talking about a nation that still reserves 25 percent of the 
seats in the Parliament for the military itself. It would be an 
understatement to call that an obstacle toward an ongoing democratic 
transition.
  Further progress toward democracy and prosperity in Burma will 
require the inclusion of Burma's ethnic minorities and making 
compromises with them. It will require national reconciliation to end 
the disparate civil conflicts that rage across that country. And it 
will require accountability for atrocities that have been committed by 
the military--and not just in Rakhine State.
  If Burma's Government meaningfully pursues these kinds of efforts, I 
expect the United States and like-minded countries will continue to 
stand by them. The free nations of the world have much to gain from 
Burma's democratization, and we have much to lose if it slides back 
into authoritarianism or further into the grasp and orbit of China.
  So, as Americans, our political contests here at home can feel 
intense. We think our elections are charged and contentious. But when 
you look at democracies that are just getting off the ground around the 
world, you remember how blessed we are to live in a republic that has 
for centuries inspired the forces of democracy and freedom all around 
the world.
  We get to live in a country where our institutions of self-government 
have held up for more than 230 years, where the rule of law and our 
Constitution are paramount.
  May we never take it for granted, and may we continue to support 
those around the world who seek to emulate our example.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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