Chairwoman of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights at the Habibie Center, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, said Tuesday the Myanmar government’s recent restrictive decision would only justify international suspicions that the Nov. 7 election in Myanmar “would not be fair, transparent and democratic”.

She said that what ASEAN members, like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, could do was advise Myanmar to allow some observers to enter the country.

“If there are [observers and journalists] from, say, ASEAN allowed to monitor and cover the election in Myanmar, I believe it will open fellow ASEAN members’ eyes more toward Myanmar,” Dewi said.

She said she believed international journalists would also report good news, if any, such as the enthusiasm of voters during the election, or the smooth process of election.

“Say, if Indonesian journalists who have witnessed election fraud during the New Order, they would probably have more empathy toward Myanmar and would not expect a democratic Myanmar to emerge overnight, and would also make comparisons,” said Dewi.

Human Rights Resource Center for ASEAN chairman Marzuki Darusman said the Indonesian government should lobby the Myanmar government so it would make “an exception for observers from Indonesia or ASEAN to come and monitor Myanmar’s election” even if it was impossible for Myanmar to do so for other international observers from outside the region.

Myanmar’s military rulers announced Monday that international monitors and coverage would be restricted during the restive country’s election.

University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan said from Myanmar’s point of view, the decision the military government took was understandable although he said it was not
acceptable.

“The Myanmar government believes that the international call for Myanmar to open up during the election is nothing but the hidden agenda of the West to oust the current regime,” he said.

“It feels sorry that ASEAN has to bow to the West’s wishes — this will eventually make Myanmar see ASEAN as the West’s ally.”

And the decision to bar international polls monitors and foreign journalists from covering the Myanmar’s election is actually a manifestation of greater confidence Myanmar has gained after India promised it to help develop its economy.

Human Rights Watch deputy director for Asia division Phil Robertson said the Myanmar government’s decision was not a surprising decision, and nothing was going to change fundamentally there.

“[Therefore] the Indonesian government should support the international call for inquiries into crimes against humanity in Burma,” he said.

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