Analytical Study Of Aung San Suu Kyi's Political Thoughts And Role In Shaping The Myanmar People's Understanding Of Democracy

Analyzing the depth of Aung San Suu Kyi's political thoughts gives a glimpse of how Myanmar will undergo a continued democratic transition especially since the landslide victory of the National League for Democracy in 2015,making it possible for Aung San Suu Kyi to consolidate power and become the de facto leader of Myanmar.This study,which employed secondary survey data analysis and literature review analysis approaches,explored and examined how Myanmar democracy will continue undergoing positive transition in light of the positive contribution of Aung San Suu Kyi's political thoughts that has been manifested in the landslide victory of NLD in the 2015 elections.It also studied historical and personal accounts of Aung San Suu Kyi in order to interpret her role in shaping the Myanmar people's understanding of democracy as well as democratic transition.First,by looking at Aung San Suu Kyi's political thoughts,a more comprehensive thought about her leadership skills has been understood.Second,by examining the general views of Myanmar people before and after the 2015 elections on certain aspects such as democracy,political participation and openness,political interest and attitude toward Myanmar's democratic transition,a profound and concrete connection between Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar people has been found.This strong linkage proved that the Myanmar people have entrusted all their hopes and aspirations on Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD,the party that stood against the brutal and suppressive military regime for decades.Lastly,it was the intention of this research to explore and examine that the Myanmar people,as proven by the 1988 Uprising,have known the importance of democracy,of being free,even before Aung San Suu Kyi gained the massive support after her speech at the Shwedagon Pagoda.Thus,the Myanmar people have already acknowledged the concepts of democracy and the necessity for a democratic transition.Based on the interpretation of the surveys available from some political institutions,which were used and analyzed in this research,Myanmar's attitude towards democratic transition could be seen gradually improving,however,interestingly,it also found out in most surveys that Myanmar people had chosen economy over democracy regardless of the overwhelming and heartening support for democracy.People's preference over economy does not mean that democracy is not important anymore.It just means that the democratization in Myanmar has led them to now focus on a certain aspect where they seriously lagged behind due to repression.For now,the Myanmar people feel safe and hopeful about the direction of their country.But they remain vigilant in continuing the democratic processes as well as economic reforms.The role of Aung San Suu Kyi can be seen as being the rightful representative of the Myanmar people,due to her intellectual and political background as the daughter of General Aung San,Myanmar's national hero.Her political thoughts,however,are instrumental in supplementing the Myanmar people's understanding of democracy.At the same time,her application of the Buddhism principles has proven to be effective in touching the cornerstone of Myanmar's democratic realization.