US will only help if Burma shows results

Asean should also step in as a united front and push its peer to conduct free and fair elections

The two-day trip by the two US senior officials over the week did not produce any fireworks or breakthroughs. At the press conference on Thursday, one of them, Ambassador to Asean Scot Marciel was extremely careful in providing information or coming up with comments related to this mission.

Obviously, he did not want to mislead the international community into believing that actual progress had been made. He kept repeating that he would not speculate on the Burmese junta's intentions, knowing full well of the high expectations people had of this trip.

However, he did make two important points that the junta needs to take into consideration with all seriousness. Firstly, there should be political dialogue for all stakeholders before the scheduled elections are held next year. Currently, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is not allowed to meet senior members of her National League of Democracy party. Other ethnic leaders have the same restrictions. Representatives from Karen, Kachin, Chin, Hmong, Rohinya and Shan ethnic minorities have complained to the US visitors about the need to amend the constitution.

The US fact-finding team reiterated that if there is no such reconciliation process, it would be difficult for the international community to accept the outcome of next year's polls as being inclusive, free and fair. In other words, the junta leaders need to make serious and tangible efforts to materialise national reconciliation.

Secondly, the US has effectively opened up a small window to help push the Burmese situation forward. The US is mindful of its own role because it has its own limits. It cannot replace the UN, the EU or regional players including Asean, China and India. Instead, Washington needs to work hand in hand with these players to bring into fruition their joint appeals for inclusive, free and fair elections in Burma.

Now that the Burmese junta leaders have met with the US senior officials, they should know all details of the important steps they should take. Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein, along with the rest of the Asean leaders, will be shaking hands with US President Barack Obama at the first Asean-US Summit in Singapore on November 15.

However, this will not be a firm handshake of friends if there are no tangible signs of progress in the near future. It is possible that the junta might try to buy time by releasing some key political prisoners or allow Suu Kyi some freedom to consult her colleagues. Still, this effort being made by the US on Burma should encourage Asean to do more in putting peer pressure on its pariah member.

Asean should ask itself why it cannot soften the regime's attitude as the US has been able to do. The grouping's major failure so far has been its lack of common approach towards Burma. Each member has its own views on the issue, while new members such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia continue to back the Burmese regime. Without a consolidated view and position among the new and old members, Asean will never be able to bring about change inside Burma.