How do the existing rulers react to the people of Myanmar's demands?

Answer 1

Historically, Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. It is a Dictatorship in which no one has the right to vote and they have a very miserably life . In the 1970s, the military government brutally suppressed student protests at leading Burmese Academic Institutions. In the late 1980s, there was increasing pressure from the Burmese people for more democratic reforms. In May of 1990, there was a free and fair election that led to the NLD (National League for Democracy) winning 80% of the vote and the parliament seats. However, the military government refused to accept the results, imprisoned the NLD leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in her own home, and strengthened their grip on power. This effectively served as a refusal of the people's demands.

Starting in 2007, the situation began to change. In 2007, monks protested the actions of the government in what became known as the Saffron Revolution. Although the Myanmar government violently repressed the incident, it had wide international coverage and served to further isolate Myanmar. In 2008, there was a constitutional referendum to push the country closer to democracy and in 2012, the NLD won 43 out of 45 vacant seats in the Burmese Parliament. It is unclear why the Myanmar government is taking this pro-democracy stance, but NLD leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi are using it as best they can to influence policy. Ms. Suu Kyi is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House of the Myanmar Parliament and no longer under house arrest.