Former deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong has spoken out against the reported military coup in Myanmar and called for the US and China to work together to prevent a major democratic regression.
This came after Reuters reported that Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with Myanmar President Win Myint and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early morning raids.
The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud”, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.
"I am deeply concerned at the reports that Aung San Suu Kyi and key NLD leaders have been detained by Myanmar military authorities.
"Although I disagree with her handling of the Rohingya crisis, a civilian government elected through elections should be defended. Military coups of any kind must be condemned as this is against the wishes of the people of Myanmar," said Liew.
"In particular, we must urge the two major powers, United States and China, to do all they can to prevent Myanmar going into another major democratic regression.
"Myanmar’s future should not be an arena for US-China competition and this should be the first act of US-China collaboration under the new (Joseph) Biden administration, where we will hopefully see the two major powers working together more to resolve international issues instead of competing for influence," Liew told Malaysiakini.
Liew's colleague DAP international secretary Teo Nie Ching said her party is deeply concerned by the actions of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) and its disregard for the democratic process.
"We have always been supportive of Myanmar's democratic transition and its promise of a better future for Myanmar and its people. We urge the military and its allies to respect the rule of the law and to utilise lawful means in resolving its disputes.
In a statement, Teo said what happened in Myanmar was reminiscent of Malaysia's own Ops Lalang - a political crackdown in 1987. She condemned the arrest and detention of NLD leaders.
"We urge the military to immediately release those they have unlawfully detained. As in all democracies of the world, the election results should be respected and allow the new government to rule, whilst encouraging a healthy opposition within the walls and laws of Parliament," she said.
The White House has said that Biden had been briefed on the arrest of Suu Kyi.
“The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,” said spokesperson Jen Psaki in a statement.
Suu Kyi, 75, came to power after a 2015 election win that followed decades of her being in house arrest in a struggle for democracy with Myanmar’s junta that turned her into an international icon.
Her international standing was damaged after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled army operations, seeking refuge from Myanmar’s western Rakhine state in 2017, but she remains hugely popular at home and her party recently won an election by a landslide.
Myanmar lags far behind other Asean countries after many decades under a string of military dictatorships that began when General Ne Win seized power in 1962.
Political tensions soared last week when a military spokesperson declined to rule out a coup ahead of the new Parliament convening on Monday, and military chief Min Aung Hlaing raised the prospect of repealing the Constitution.
But the military appeared to backtrack on the weekend, issuing a statement on social media on Sunday saying it would “do everything possible to adhere to the democratic norms of free and fair elections”.
Tanks were deployed in some streets last week and pro-military demonstrations have taken place in some cities ahead of the first gathering of Parliament. - Mkini
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