Pro-democracy protests in Myanmar (AP file photo)
Myanmar’s government of national unity in exile – formed by elected lawmakers ousted in the 2021 military coup – has set up what it calls the Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Federation (SCEF).In a statement shared with TOI, the National Unity Government said the goal of the SCEF is to “completely dismantle all forms of dictatorship, including military dictatorship, and collectively embark on a new political landscape that can effectively and practically realize our political aspirations and positions.”The newly formed council includes various ethnic resistance groups such as the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Chin National Front (CNF), among others.This development coincides with the election of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing as vice president by the House of Representatives, with the coup leader close to becoming the country’s civilian leader.The former supreme leader has led Myanmar since 2021. His election launches a process that will move him from military to civilian leadership. Parliament will appoint three vice-presidents, one of whom will become president.
The Senate elected Nan Nyi Nyi Aye, a lawmaker from the military-allied Union Solidarity and Development Party from Karen State, as another vice president. The Army will appoint the third.A full parliamentary vote to choose the president from among the three vice presidents is expected this week.Democracy watchdogs have long warned that the new government would be a proxy for the military, which has ruled Myanmar for the vast majority of its post-independence history.
What will SCEF do?
According to the statement of the National Unity Government, the Supreme Education Council is based on three pillars:1. The pillar representing the states/federal units/ethnic resistance organizations (EROs)2. The column that represents the people3. The pillar that represents women – for coordination, leadership, direction, and implementation of military, political, federal, and institutional matters.He says the SCEF is “committed to protecting and promoting the diverse identities of all ethnic nationalities residing within member states and units of the Federation, and to building a new federal democratic federation composed of states that guarantee the equality of nationalities and the right to full self-determination.”The newly formed body also emphasizes “shared sovereignty” between the Union and the states/federal units as well as “collective leadership” to ensure “the voices of human rights organizations, democratic resistance forces, women’s groups, and representatives of the people are meaningfully included.”
The former spymaster is the new military commander
Meanwhile, former Myanmar intelligence chief Ye Win Oo, 60, will take over command of the military.On February 1, 2021, he led forces that arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate and then-leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Reuters reported that the main factor behind the selection of Ye Win Oo, the first intelligence chief to reach this high position, was his close relations and loyalty to outgoing leader Min Aung Hlaing.“Min Aung Hlaing has chosen to hand power to the most trusted loyalists in his inner circle,” said Naung U, a major who defected from the military after a 2021 coup that plunged Myanmar into civil war.Although Myanmar’s military intelligence generals are known for their brutality, the first phase of Ye Win Oo’s leadership is expected to align closely with the priorities of Min Aung Hlaing and his prospective presidency.“For at least two years, the commander-in-chief will be committed to the president,” one analyst told Reuters, adding that a major overhaul of the military’s war doctrine was unlikely as it continued to fight armed groups in large parts of the country.With input from agencies