A sham election

In societies where truth is not merely distorted but systematically extinguished, power becomes the sole arbiter of reality. The principle of “might is right” transforms into “right is truth,” leaving no space for moral absolutes or democratic legitimacy. Nowhere is this perversion more starkly visible than in Myanmar, where the military junta has staged a hollow election amid civil war and repression, attempting to cloak authoritarian rule in the veneer of democratic process.The junta’s disdain for democracy has been evident since its February 1, 2021 coup, when it toppled the elected government, declared martial law across numerous townships, and rearrested Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, Suu Kyi has languished in detention, serving a lengthy sentence on charges widely condemned as politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which secured landslide victories in 2015 and 2020, was dissolved by the junta, ensuring its absence from the ballot. The deliberate exclusion of the NLD underscores the junta’s intent: not to hold an election, but to stage a performance designed to legitimize its grip on power. The first round of voting on December 28 revealed the farcical nature of this exercise. Reports indicate voter turnout was abysmally low, despite coercion and intimidation. Fear of retaliation permeated the atmosphere, as citizens weighed the risks of defying military dictates. The United Nations confirmed this week that participation was minimal, a testament to the population’s rejection of the junta’s charade. According to media reports, UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews has urged the international community to unequivocally denounce the sham election, intensify efforts to isolate the regime, and pressure its leaders to abandon the process. His appeal highlights the fundamental question: how can an election be free or fair when thousands of political prisoners remain behind bars, opposition parties are outlawed, journalists silenced, and basic freedoms crushed?For nearly five years, the junta has dismantled the foundations of democratic participation. It now seeks international recognition for a parody of an election, one in which only the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)-a vehicle for former junta figures-stands as a credible force. None of the major parties from 2020 are present, and the NLD’s absence is glaring. The outcome is predetermined, not by ballots but by boots, guns, jets, and tanks.International reaction has been telling. Only China, Russia, and Belarus including some within and beyond Myanmar have endorsed these elections, underscoring the geopolitical divide between authoritarian solidarity and democratic condemnation. Reports from Naypyidaw and other junta-controlled areas suggest participation is far lower than in 2020, yet the regime insists that the fraction of voters-perhaps 25%-represents the will of the entire nation. This distortion exemplifies the junta’s ideology: truth is not an independent reality but whatever military might declares it to be.The implications extend beyond Myanmar. When authoritarian regimes succeed in redefining truth as relative, democracy itself becomes endangered globally. Myanmar’s sham election is not merely a domestic tragedy but a warning to the world- that if left unchecked, brute force can masquerade as legitimacy, and criminality can parade as governance. The international community must resist this normalization of falsehood, lest truth itself vanish from the political landscape.