“The elections are an illusion of democracy. Entering a ballot station means very little if opposition politicians and voters are denied the right to freedom of expression and freedom of information. Some governments, however, appear ready to accept Sunday’s election result in order to justify entering into relations with Burma – whether by ending sanctions or by negotiating business deals – at the expense of human rights,” says Dr Agnes Callamard, Article 19 Executive Director.
“Article 19 calls on United Nations member states and the international community to monitor the situation closely,” continued Callamard.
No media freedom
Freedom of expression and access to information are extremely restricted in Burma. The media cannot cover the elections freely due to regulations by both the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board, part of the Ministry of Information, and the Election Commission, which is not an independent body. Foreign journalists have been banned by the Election Commission from entering the country.
The few electoral candidates that are not military-aligned and have managed to get past numerous obstacles to register are also censored by the government and the state-controlled media
, which refuses to publish their opinions.
The few sources of independent information available are the foreign and diaspora media, including online media, which has been more rigorously blocked than ever over the last few days. As a result, voters have very limited information and are denied their right to a free and fair choice.
Statement
Norwegian Burma Committee together with 16 other human rights organizations working with Burma undersigned a statement on 5 November in which they call for a dialogue between the international community and Burmese authority.
We, the undersigned organisations, do not believe that fake elections due in Burma on 7th November will be a meaningful step towards the promotion of human rights and democracy in Burma.
We therefore call on the international community to unite behind a revived UN-led effort to secure genuine dialogue between the dictatorship ruling Burma, the democracy movement, including Aung San Suu Kyi and National League for democracy, and ethnic representatives.
The extreme repression and human rights abuses taking place in Burma make it 
impossible for elections to be free and fair.
-
More than 2,100 political prisoners remain in jail, including more than 400 members of the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy
-
Military attacks continue against ethnic groups, which the UN’s own Burma human rights expert has said should be investigated as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
-
The National League for Democracy has been banned.
-
Strict election laws make it impossible for political parties to operate freely.
-
Voting has been banned in many ethnic areas.
-
The cost of standing as a candidate is more than the average annual income in Burma.
-
Media is censored and biased towards pro-regime parties.
However, even if the elections were free and fair, it would not bring real change to Burma, as a new constitution which comes into force after the elections is written by the military solely to preserve dictatorship. With 25 percent of seats in Parliament guaranteed for the military, it is impossible to change the constitution, as more than 75 percent of votes in the Parliament are required. Power will lie not with parliament, but instead with a new National Defense and Security Council which will be dominated by the military.
Furthermore, by refusing to grant rights and some level of autonomy to Burma’s ethnic nationalities, and instead seeking to extend control over ethnic areas by forcing groups on ceasefire to submit to becoming part of the Burmese Army, the elections and new constitution threaten increased conflict and instability.
None of the reforms normally seen from a
dictatorship beginning a process of change have taken place in Burma. Instead repression in Burma has increased.
Since 2003 the international community has largely focussed on trying to reform the dictatorship’s so-called roadmap to democracy. Not a single political reform or compromise proposed by the United Nations or others has been accepted.
The United Nations Security Council, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Secretary General, the G8, European Union and many other governments have all stated that the solution to Burma’s problems lies in securing genuine dialogue between the dictatorship, the democracy movement and ethnic representatives. However, no serious coordinated effort to secure such dialogue has ever been made. The last serious effort to secure dialogue was initiated by UN envoy Razali Ismail ten years ago, but this largely excluded ethnic representatives.
It is time for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to personally take the lead 
in securing dialogue that leads to national reconciliation and a transition to democracy. He should have the full and high level backing of governments around the world. The excuse that we must wait and see what happens with the elections can be used no longer. Now it is time for action.
The European Burma Networks brings together organisations promoting human rights and democracy in Burma, and works in solidarity with Burma’s democracy movement.
Actions Birmanie (Belgium)
Association Suisse-Birmanie
Austrian Burma Center
Burma Action Ireland
Burma Aktion (Germany)
Burma Campaign UK
Burma Center Prague
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
CISL – ITALY
European Karen Network
Info Birmanie
Norwegian Burma Committee
Olof Palme International Center, Sweden
People in Need, Czech Republic
PES Stockholm
Socialdemocratic Students of Sweden
The Swedish Burma Committee
HRH Oslo, based on Norwegian Burma Committee’s and Article’s 19 information.
Related links:
Burma: no foreign journalists or observers for elections
Burma: no visas for foreigners before election, NLD announces boycott
The least free places on Earth: 2010
Burma: 2010 elections will define the political landscape for years to come
