Myanmar president hails 'triumph' of democratic transition

Yahoo – AFP, Hla-Hla Htay, January 28, 2016

Myanmar President Thein Sein (R) waves as he leaves parliament after giving
his final farewell speech in Napyidaw on January 28, 2016 (AFP Photo/Aung Htet)

Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - President Thein Sein hailed the "triumph" of Myanmar's transition of power Thursday, in a last address to a military-dominated parliament before it makes way for a historic new legislature led by Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party.

The Southeast Asian nation, choked for decades under junta rule, is on the cusp of a remarkable political handover after Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) thundered to victory in November elections.

Myanmar's people are hoping her government can reboot a country eviscerated by army rule that battered the economy and repressed dissent.

Chair of the National League for Democracy

(NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi has the weight of

 the nation's expectations on her shoulders 

after a long struggle against junta repression

(AFP Photo/Aung Htet)

"Even though there were difficulties and challenges, we were able to bring a democratic transformation eventually," Thein Sein said addressing the military-stacked legislature for the last time.

"This is a triumph for all Myanmar's people," he added.

Thein Sein, who under drawn-out handover rules retains his post until the end of March, has been a key player in Myanmar's astonishing reform process so far.

He was among a host of military figures who shed their uniforms to form a government in 2011.

Initially that government was viewed with suspicion as a civilian front for the army's continued domination.

While the army retains major clout -- a quarter of parliamentary seats are ring-fenced for unelected soldiers -- sweeping political and economic reforms have surprised the international community and encouraged a flood of foreign investment.

They also culminated in November's polls which passed peacefully and fairly and saw Suu Kyi's party scoop nearly 80 percent of elected seats in the national parliament.

The new NLD MPs, many of whom are political novices, will take their seats on February 1 following the final day of a lame duck session by the outgoing parliament on Friday.

'Better foundation?'

Suu Kyi, 70, carries the weight of the nation's expectations on her shoulders, after a decades long struggle against junta repression.

Myanmar is on the cusp of a political transition after Suu Kyi's National League for

 Democracy (NLD) thundered to victory in November elections (AFP Photo/

Ye Aung Thu)

The Nobel laureate faces a formidable challenge in an impoverished nation, blighted by corruption and torn by ethnic minority civil wars and religious divisions.

She is barred from the presidency by the junta-era constitution that many believe was designed specifically to exclude her, but has vowed to rule through a proxy, who is yet to be named in public.

Faced with Suu Kyi's massive popular mandate, Thein Sein and powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing have pledged to support the transition.

A flurry of political plays have dominated the days leading up to the handover, leaving analysts struggling to decipher their meaning in a country where decision-making has long been made in secret.

Observers say Suu Kyi is seeking to find ways to placate a twitchy military.

But any dealings with the army come fraught with anxiety for the former political prisoner and her party.

The NLD is haunted by memories of its election landslide in 1990 that was ignored by a junta that went on to tighten its grip on power for two more decades.

Thein Sein on Thursday shrugged off the near-annihilation inflicted on his party at the polls, saying he had not launched the reforms in order to hold on to power.

Myanmar's Pesident Thein Sein (R) has pledged to support the transition towards

democracy in the face of Aung San Suu Kyi's popular mandate (AFP Photo/

Ye Aung Thu)

"During the last five years we have built a better foundation for the next government, who won the 2015 election. I did not do this with the expectation of being a second term president," he said.

He listed a fragile peace process, better access to health care and education as his main reforms.

His government also removed draconian pre-publication press censorship and opened telecoms to foreign investment, allowing millions of people cheap access to mobile phones -- and the Internet -- for the first time.

Thein Sein's speech sparked mixed reaction online, with comments praising his legacy off-set by others wished him good riddance.

"The bit I liked most was: 'Our government's term will end at the end of the March," said Ko Moe Zaw Win, posting under a transcript of the speech on the president's office Facebook page.