The attempts by Myanmar's military rulers to manage political reform since the late 1980s have been at odds with the aspirations of some of the major ethnic groups within Myanmar, as well as the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Particular issues of intense contention between the military and its detractors have been the nature of the state, and the distribution of power in the (future) democratic state. These in turn revolve around the problem of national unity in a multi-ethnic state, a problem that has been perceived and interpreted differently by the various protagonists. In essence, the non-Bamar groups' perception of the majority Bamar dominance in ethnic relations has been a highly contentious political issue, with far-reaching implications for building a democratic state, premised upon national unity. This paper explores the tension between democratization, control and legitimacy in Myanmar's multi-ethnic state where minority groups have agitated – often violently – for greater self-determination and autonomy even since independence.
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