Aung Sang Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy facing impossible expectations from Myanmar public
By South-East Asia correspondent Liam Cochrane
The housing compound for Myanmar's new parliamentarians is a bucolic, lime-green painted oasis in the middle of the country's bizarre capital, Naypyidaw.
Whether politicians are high-flying Yangon businesspeople or hail from a remote village in the mountains, they each get the same humble room, with concrete floors and no hot water.
The simplicity provides a welcome contrast to the gaudy, gargantuan and mostly empty hotels — built from scratch by paranoid generals in 2005 — that dot the capital.
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It's within this shady compound that the new members of Myanmar's historic Parliament received briefings and got to know each other this week, ushering in a new political era.
"It's good, there's a lot of young candidates, a lot of young ladies, so maybe we can work together," said Nan Moe, a female MP from the Ta'ang National Party.
Many MPs from ethnic-based parties turned up to Monday's swearing in of the lower house in traditional dress, providing a colourful show of how things are changing.
"The previous parliamentarians were from the same background, men after retirement [with a] military background," said one female NLD member, who asked to remain anonymous because she wasn't authorised to speak to the media.
"Now this new group is very diverse: We have men, women, young, old, different professions, from different areas.
"This is a strength of this Parliament, at the same time the challenge — we will have to understand each other."
'No quick wins in politics'
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, swept elections in November, winning around 80 per cent of available seats.
The landslide victory — an echo of the 1990 result that was annulled by Myanmar's brutal military junta — gives the NLD political power, but also burdens the party with huge, perhaps impossible, expectations from the public.
"There's no way to meet the people's expectations, we will have to manage the people's expectations," said the NLD member.
The Parliament being sworn in this week is the first democratically-elected body since 1962 in Myanmar.
Decades of sanctions, thuggish economic mismanagement and political repression mean there is a lot to do to put the country back on track, and the NLD appears keen to make the most of the low hanging fruit.
"We will have to sincerely communicate to the public [that] these are the quick wins which can be obtained during this time, [others] are for the medium-term, long-term … we will have to make people understand the real situation," the MP said.
She named infrastructure development, trade facilitation, creating favourable investment climate, and encouraging vocational training as possible "quick wins".
"[There'll be] no quick wins in politics, only economic development!" she laughed.
Deep ethnic divisions remain
The medium-to-long-term priorities usually cited are peace with the country's various armed ethnic groups and amending or re-writing the Constitution.
The peace process is underway, with eight armed groups signing a ceasefire in last year.
However a further 13 rebel groups refused to sign, including some of the biggest and toughest fighting units.
Deep rifts remain between some ethnic minorities and the Bamar majority, which also dominate the NLD.
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Ms Suu Kyi's party has been careful to demonstrate inclusiveness early, nominating ethnic Arakan, Kachin and Karen candidates for Parliamentary speaker roles.
Lasting peace will take time, but so may Constitutional change.
Currently the 2008 Constitution prohibits anyone with foreign children becoming President, a clause thought to have been written specifically for Ms Suu Kyi and the sons she had with her late British husband.
The Nobel laureate has said she will "rule from above" the President and NLD insiders say she will put off any immediate moves to amend the Constitution in the interests of a smooth transition of power.
That transition is a cumbersome and slow process.
Muted excitement for the victors
Later this month, a President will be elected — one of three vice Presidents nominated by the upper house, lower house and military, which holds on to a 25 per cent unelected bloc in Parliament.
That President will then form a Government and formally take over with a speech on March 31.
In some ways that glacial transfer of power, from early November to late March, may help take the sting out the humiliating defeat dished out to the military, and Ms Suu Kyi appears to be avoiding an iconic "we won" moment.
It's clearly historic times in Myanmar but the mood is more sombre than may be expected.
In fact, several MPs told the ABC they were not excited about the prospect of a new Parliament.
Proud, reflective and determined perhaps, but not at all giddy over their own triumph.
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"No, no," said the NLD's jovial spokesman Win Htein, with a wry smile, when journalists prodded him for exclamations of excitement.
"This is the accumulation of our struggle for the past 30 years."
On the front porch of her MP accommodation, one NLD member said the buzz of history-in-the-making was for others to enjoy.
"It's an exciting period for the people [of Myanmar], because we are going to perform our part and we are going to carry the heavy responsibility ahead."
Source : abc.net.au
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