Parliamentary Development in Myanmar: An Overview of the Union Parliament, 2011-2016

Abstract

This report argues that Myanmar’s new Parliament falls into the category of a nascent legislature, with a capacity to influence, rather than command, policy and lawmaking, and a potential for vetting, rather than thoroughly overseeing, the activities and behaviors of other branches of government. In a sense, this is very good news, given Myanmar’s most recent political history. There does not seem to be any other example in the world of such rapid success in (re)establishing a parliamentary institution after decades without any meaningful legislative activity. Yet, there are several areas where reform and restructuring are needed to improve the long-term efficiency, effectiveness, representativeness, and autonomy of not only the legislative process, but also the parliamentary institution itself.