Abstract
The central purpose of this dissertation is to formulate answers to questions regarding the kind of political system that Myanmar urgently needs to develop. Myanmar has suffered the endless civil war for decades since regaining its sovereignty in 1948. Myanmar cannot achieve a lasting peace, prosperity and security unless it alters its centralized governance system into a more decentralized and democratic one. Therefore, the lead research question is: What kind of federal democratic model is most suitable for Myanmar and what kind of political arrangements should be in place?
To explore answers for this question, I employed a descriptive–qualitative approach and triangulation research method including interviews with politicians and activists in Myanmar, field observation and analysis of historical documents. The study analyzed the contemporary political issues of Myanmar in terms of federalism to ensure that analysis of this dissertation does not omit the actual political process performed by the government. In addition to that, the study investigated on uncovers the reasons behind the country becoming the victim of civil war for the purpose of illustrating a bigger dimension of the reasons why the country has been suffering civil war. The analysis of the struggles of armed groups in the country fighting for federal democracy in the country is presented.
The normative method is also employed in an effort to accurately define Myanmar’s Constitution in relation to federalism from a comparative perspective. The constitutions of the United States, India, and Myanmar were critically analyzed in the light of Ivo D.
Duchacek’s ten yardsticks of federalism.
Depending on the local political uniqueness, every country has its own unique political culture, history, distinct background, and nature. A mechanical application of any country’s existing federal model will not fit in to Myanmar’s particular situation and will not be effective due to its unique and complicated political history. As a result, a federal model for Myanmar can never be transferred or applied wholly from any existing federal model of any country, even if it is the quite efficient USA system. Therefore, Myanmar needs a tailored federal model, which is to be the best ones to accommodate in the ethnically divided country that would enhance solution to ethnic conflicts and end civil war.
Keywords: centralization, federalism, ethnicity, civil war, conflict, constitution, democracy.