https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/oct/26/corruption-index-2010-transparency-international
Myanmar is a country that is heavily influenced by the ideology of nationalism, especially in regards to the military. The fear of “foreign control” of the country is one of the ways in which the military government holds on to power. Andrew Nachemson of The Diplomat quotes Thein Sein who stated ahead of the 2020 elections: ““Because of neocolonialism under the disguise of democracy and human rights, our country is at the brink of being consumed by foreigners.” By appealing to the sense of nationalism amongst his followers he hopes to achieve political sway in the outcome of the votes for the election. Additionally, nationalism has been at the heart of the Rohingya genocide, which targets the Muslim minority group as anti-Burmese.
Another aspect of life in Myanmar is the inequalities prevalent throughout. Though there has been positive economic change, using the Gini coeffecient we can see that economic inequality when it was measured in 2017 is around 30%, while more recent estimates put it closer to 50%. This increase in inequality aligns with the military coups and overthrowing of the democratic efforts that had previously been established in Myanmar.
References:
https://thediplomat.com/2020/02/myanmars-aggressive-nationalism-in-the-air-ahead-of-2020-elections/
https://www.mizzima.com/article/survey-shows-inequality-serious-problem-myanmar
