Transition From Authoritarianism To Democracy: A Comparative Study of Indonesia and Myanmar

This book is a study of transition from authoritarianism to democracy in Indonesia and Myanmar. Indonesia has been chosen as a model for comparing political developments in Myanmar because the latter’s experience parallels that of the former in a number of respects. It should, however, be stressed that the purpose is not to equate the internal dynamics of the two countries. The important role the military has come to play in both countries, and their ethnic diversity suggests a high degree of commonality. But in many other respects, each of the two countries has travelled very different paths. Each country goes through a series of unique experiences with its own dynamics, amidst the socio-economic and geo-political milieu of the region. It is, therefore, impossible to draw up a general law to the effect that democracy will always emerge provided certain pre-conditions are present.
Nevertheless, the rigid authority structures which developed in these regimes have significantly guided the way transition took place in Indonesia and Myanmar. An attempt has been made to find out some cases of positive knowledge while in others, the kind of things to be avoided, because the challenges of democratization being faced by Myanmar are similar to those encountered by Indonesia in its preparatory and transition stage of democratization.
The book will be useful to all those who are interested to know about the politics of military rule and democratic transition in these two countries of Southeast Asia.