In November, elections and a new constitution were meant, ostensibly, to usher in a new era of civilian rule in Myanmar, where the military has ruled the country for some five decades. But the election by the newly inaugurated Parliament of Thein Sein, a former prime minister and long time adjutant to the country's military dictator, to the post of president, cements the military's hold on the new government. It looks like the same old tea in a new teapot. Of the top five political figures under the new system — the president, two vice presidents and the speakers of the lower and upper houses of Parliament — four are former senior military officers. Thein Sein has a long attachment to General Than Shwe, the military dictator, and it is widely believed that Than Shwe is still wielding tremendous power from behind the scenes. Although it is up to Thein Sein to put together his own cabinet in coming days, observers say many of those posts have already been filled on Than's orders. If the military were intent on preserving a prospering economy, an efficient educational system and a satisfied populace, it would be easy to understand its insistence on staying in power. But military rule has been disastrous for the country formerly known as Burma, taking it from top spots on international rankings of education and economy and dropping it near the bottom in all categories. Creating a new system of government is of little use if those running it are the same ones who ran the old system. A fresh coat of paint might renew your apartment, but it is not enough when new governments are supposedly being put in place. There is little indication that the Myanmar electorate has any more faith in this form of military rule than it had in direct military rule. Two uprisings in the recent past point to a populace expecting more than a fresh coat of paint. __
