All eyes are now on Myanmar's army chief General Min Aung Hlaing. The military has seized power by arresting leaders of the Democracy (NLD) party after the country's ruling National League. As a result, the sun of democracy in Myanmar has disappeared behind the black cloud. Min Aung Hlaing is now in power, ousting the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. As a result, how he takes the country forward, what the world decides about him - has now become the focus of interest. Myanmar was under direct military rule for almost 50 years after the 1972 military coup. But they seem to have been moving slowly towards national unity. But Suu Kyi may not have understood what the soldiers were thinking.
In the constitution that was drafted in the country in 2008, the army took a permanent position in the political system. The army has to give up 25 percent of the total seats in parliament. The army can appoint whoever it wants in these seats. This is not the end, the army chief can directly appoint to the ministries of defense, interior, border affairs and important political positions. They made such a power-sharing agreement with the NLD. Many members of the party, including Aung San Suu Kyi, have previously suffered because of their opposition to the former military junta.
Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing is now 74 years old. He studied law at Yangon University from 1972-1984. Even then, political activism was not observed in him. One of his classmates told Reuters in 2016 that Min Aung Hlaing was a man of few words. Usually he keeps low-profile. When classmates joined the protest, Min Aung Hlaing applied to the Defense Military University Defense Services Academy (DSA). In 1984, he succeeded in the third phase. According to one of his classmates at DSA, he was an average cadet.
From military to politician
Min Aung Hlaing took charge of the army in 2011 when the democratic transition began. Diplomats in Yangon say that during Suu Kyi's first term, Min Aung Hlaing transformed herself from an outspoken soldier into a politician. Meetings with special people, government activities and activities to visit the monastery, he continues to promote on Facebook. They have noticed all this. In 2016, his army inflicted atrocities on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine. Until now, there were thousands of followers on his official profile. Diplomats and observers say Min Aung Hlaing has studied the political upheavals in other countries. He sees the turmoil in Libya and the Middle East as a result of the 2011 coup. Since then, Myanmar's army chief has never been ready to step down. So he has been able to reserve 25 percent of the seats in parliament for the military, putting the Suu Kyi government in a very dangerous position. According to them, there were massive irregularities in the voter list in the November 8 vote in Myanmar. In doing so, Suu Kyi's team won. In 2016, the army chief extended his term for another five years.
Blockade
In 2016, the army carried out horrific, unprecedented atrocities against the Rohingya. As a result, at least 730,000 Rohingyas fled and took refuge in Bangladesh. The army carried out massacres, rapes and arsons. In response, the United States imposed a blockade on Myanmar's army chief Min Aung Hlai and three other top military leaders in 2019. Cases against them are pending in various courts, including the International Court of Justice. In 2019, UN investigators called on world leaders to impose financial sanctions on Myanmar's top leaders.
