Myanmar army allies’ clout on show at new parliament FEATURE 09/21/2011

Myanmar army allies’ clout on show at new parliament

FEATURE

09/21/2011
NAYPYIDAW — Imposing bronze lions, the symbol of the ruling party, guard the entrance to Myanmar’s fledgling parliament in a sign of its domination by the military and its political allies.

The palatial building in the heart of Naypyidaw, a purpose-built capital constructed just five years ago, is the showpiece of a “roadmap to democracy” promised by the general who ruled for decades.

Inside the vast maze of marble-floored corridors, chandeliers and air-conditioned chambers, a sign proclaims: “People’s expectations, parliament’s implementation.”

Yet a quarter of the seats were reserved for the military even before landmark elections last year, and the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) holds about 80 percent of the remainder.

“Here we have no opposition party. All are colleagues. For us there is no opposition,” USDP Secretary General Htay Oo told a rare news conference at the parliament, which opened in January..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110921com5.html