[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8673]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on one final matter, several weeks ago, 
I had the pleasure of meeting with Shwe Mann, speaker of the Burmese 
Parliament, on his visit to Washington. It was the third time we met. 
We had a cordial but frank discussion about the challenges and 
opportunities facing his country in 2015. There are obviously many 
issues that fall into both categories.
  When it comes to challenges, there is the need for the government to 
do all it can to protect and assume responsibility for members of a 
long-suffering religious minority group, the Rohingya, thousands of 
whom have been forced to take to the high seas on dangerous makeshift 
vessels to escape persecution. There is the longstanding need for the 
government to continue its work with other ethnic minorities toward a 
permanent peace agreement that calls for political settlements in order 
to end a conflict as old as the modern Burmese State itself. Then there 
is the need for a constitutional reform to enhance civilian control of 
the military, along with more progress on efforts to protect liberties, 
such as freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of 
conscience, and freedom of assembly.
  Those are just a few of the challenges facing Burma in 2015. But it 
is also true that Burma has come a long way from where it was just a 
few years ago. Reform has been offered, change has occurred, and 
considering the conditions within Burma when reform began, this is no 
small achievement. That is why there are opportunities as well.
  The parliamentary election that will be held later this year 
represents a clear opportunity to demonstrate how far Burma has 
progressed. There are some encouraging signs that the election will be 
more credible, more inclusive, and more transparent than what we have 
seen in the past in that country. Unlike recent Burmese elections, 
international election monitors have been permitted to observe. By and 
large, the work of the Union Election Commission has been encouraging 
thus far, especially as it relates to serious efforts to modernize the 
voter roles and to make it easier to run for office. And our Embassy, 
under the capable leadership of Ambassador Derek Mitchell, has been 
engaged in the process as well.
  These are all positive signs, but it is going to take a sustained 
commitment by President Thein Sein's government to ensure that as free 
and fair an election as possible takes place this fall because for all 
of the positive change we have seen in recent years, it is obvious that 
Burma still has much further to go. There are signs that its political 
reform effort has begun to falter, which is worrying for all of us who 
care about the Burmese people.
  It doesn't mean Burmese officials can't turn things around. I believe 
they can, which is what I indicated to the speaker when I met with him. 
I believe there is still time before the next critical test of Burma's 
slow democratic development this autumn.
  There may still be time to amend the Constitution, for instance, to 
ensure that it promotes rather than inhibits Burma's democratic 
development. It is hard to claim democratic legitimacy with a 
Constitution that unreasonably limits who can run for President or that 
effectively locks in a parliamentary veto for the military.
  At the very least, the six-party talks we have seen between President 
Thein Sein, Shwe Mann, opposition leader Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the 
military, ethnic groups, and others certainly represent progress. They 
should continue in a sustained fashion.
  I also hope to see further progress on the draft national ceasefire 
reached between the Burmese Government and representatives from 16 
ethnic groups in March.
  Those of us who follow Burma want the country to succeed. We want it 
to succeed in carrying out a transparent, inclusive, and credible 
election on a broad scale. We know this standard goes far beyond simply 
holding an election without mass casualties or violence. It needs to be 
more than just holding an election without mass casualties or violence. 
It means the lead-up to the election must be transparent, inclusive, 
and credible, too. It means there should not be political favoritism 
shown by the state or its media organs. It means freedom of expression 
of the press and a peaceful assembly must be ensured. It means citizens 
must be allowed to register and to vote without harassment, and it 
means they must be granted equal opportunities to organize, to 
campaign, and to participate fully in the electoral process without 
fear and violence.
  These basic standards of fairness are minimum goals Burmese officials 
must strive toward. If the Burmese Government gets this right, if it 
ensures a transparent, inclusive, and credible election, with results 
accepted by competing parties, that would go a long way toward 
reassuring Burma's friends around the globe that it remains committed 
to political reform. But if we end up with an election not accepted by 
the Burmese people as reflecting their will, it will make further 
normalization of relations--at least as it concerns the legislative 
branch of our government--much more difficult.
  For example, such an outcome would likely hinder further enhancement 
of U.S.-Burma economic ties and military-to-military relations. 
Further, an erosion of congressional confidence in Burma's reform 
efforts would also make it more difficult for the executive branch to 
include Burma in the Generalized System of Preferences program or to 
enhance political military relations.
  So these are some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities 
awaiting Burma in 2015. I noted many of them in my discussion with 
Burma's parliamentary speaker.
  I would close by making it clear that we in the United States will be 
watching intently to see what happens in Burma in the coming months, 
and we are prepared to continue doing what we can to encourage more 
positive change in that country.

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