Burma

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on an entirely different matter, as we continue to complete the process of our own election here at home, there is also news on the continued growth of democracy half a world away.

My colleagues know that I have had a special interest in the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma for decades, dating back to my days leading the Appropriations Subcommittee for State and Foreign Operations.

Burma held elections on Sunday, which we hope will represent another step toward a more democratic and prosperous future. For too long, the people of Burma were denied democracy by a brutal military junta. To this day, its influence remains a significant impediment to progress. And as with many new democracies, the elections faced many challenges, ranging from continued conflict to the coronavirus pandemic.

But when the votes are counted and Burma's next government is seated, more hard work will await. The government will need to continue advancing Burma's democratic development. Its sovereignty must be defended against the corrupting foreign influence of the People's Republic of China. The nation needs true national reconciliation among Burma's various ethnic groups and further economic reforms to benefit all of its people.

Further progress will take real compromise and real sacrifice from parties and interests within Burma, and it will need continued support from the international community, particularly the United States.

I have known Daw Suu for many years and know she remains committed to democracy. So I hope and expect that if she and her party are the victors, her government will seek much needed constitutional, economic, and security sector reforms to further limit the corrosive influence of the military and the crony networks over so much of the life in Burma.

We are talking about a nation that still reserves 25 percent of the seats in the Parliament for the military itself. It would be an understatement to call that an obstacle toward an ongoing democratic transition.

Further progress toward democracy and prosperity in Burma will require the inclusion of Burma's ethnic minorities and making compromises with them. It will require national reconciliation to end the disparate civil conflicts that rage across that country. And it will require accountability for atrocities that have been committed by the military--and not just in Rakhine State.

If Burma's Government meaningfully pursues these kinds of efforts, I expect the United States and like-minded countries will continue to stand by them. The free nations of the world have much to gain from Burma's democratization, and we have much to lose if it slides back into authoritarianism or further into the grasp and orbit of China.

So, as Americans, our political contests here at home can feel intense. We think our elections are charged and contentious. But when you look at democracies that are just getting off the ground around the world, you remember how blessed we are to live in a republic that has for centuries inspired the forces of democracy and freedom all around the world.

We get to live in a country where our institutions of self-government have held up for more than 230 years, where the rule of law and our Constitution are paramount.

May we never take it for granted, and may we continue to support those around the world who seek to emulate our example.

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