Exactly sixty years ago on this day – March 2 – General Ne Win launched a coup d’état against the democratically elected government of U Nu, unleashing a repressive dictatorship that isolated Myanmar from the rest of the world, wrecked the economy, and crippled the wellbeing of the people of Myanmar. Ne Win established a governing council whose members were drawn almost exclusively from the armed forces and effectively set the stage for succeeding generations of power-hungry coup makers: Senior General Saw Maung and his deputy Than Shwe in 1988 and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in 2021. What is most tragic about this latest coup is that Myanmar was on track to make genuine progress: though reform was still crippled by the 2008-military drafted constitution and stagnant mindsets, Myanmar was becoming reintegrated into the international community, and people’s standards of living were gradually improving.

The Tatmadaw was once respected given its role in Myanmar’s independence; today it is a menace to the wellbeing of the Myanmar people. In no world can a military force legitimately step in to fill the role that should be played by democracy – a role that should reflect the will of the people. The world cannot let this latest coup set the stage for another fifty years of authoritarian rule in Myanmar and reverse the hard work of generations of activists and changemakers.