Issue II
Veracium / February 22nd, 2021
Embedded Files
Greetings and hello! Welcome to Veracium, a newsletter published by BLS V.O.T.E. It is currently published bi-weekly on our website, and details some current events, be it local, national, or global.
This time, we will be covering the situation in Myanmar, as well as updates on COVID-19 and Mayor Walsh.
If you're interesting in helping up create this newsletter, please sign up for our club and join us on Thursdays at 2:30 if you're interested in helping us with layout or writing or whatever else you might have a talent for! Everyone's welcome to join, our meetings are very small and informal.
-Megan Li, Co-President (III)
Articles
The Situation in Myanmar
Introduction By Joshua Rand (IV)
As the situation escalates in Myanmar it is important that we in the United States remain aware of what is going on. That is why, for BLS V.O.T.E.'s second issue of Veracium, we'll be examining the status of democracy in the country and what is going on to create such unrest. First, some background. Ever since 1948, when the country gained independence from Britain, the Southeast Asian nation, formerly Burma, has faced severe political unrest and totalitarianism. The nation was ruled entirely by the military all the way from 1962 to 2011. Only after that did a new, democratic government begin to be established. Despite this, the armed forces still hold considerable power, allowing such events as those of February 1st to occur.
Before reading on, it is important to note that the following two articles includes descriptions of violence. We have done our best to limit any such content, but please take this into account if this affects you.
Political Unrest Isn't Limited to the USA:
Myanmar's Coup
By Joshua Rand (IV)
A map of Myanmar from the BBC. Myanmar is a Southeast Asian country of 54 million people, mostly Burmese speakers, though there are many minority languages, and members of Buddhism, though again, other religions, such as Islam by the Rohingya, are practiced. It borders the Nations of Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Laos, and China.
In early January in the United States an extremely violent mob, comprised of ardent supporters of former president Donald J. Trump, stormed the US Capitol in an act of insurrection. Multiple lives were lost, and some members of Congress were nearly assassinated. Thankfully, however, no politicians lost their lives to the conflict, and the coup was unsuccessful, though it took a toll on the nation.
In contrast, however, on February 1, 2021, the military of the Southeast Asian Country of Myanmar, formerly Burma, took full control over the nation in a military coup d'état. Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation's de facto leader as the State Counsellor, and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD), including official President Win Myint, were detained for various alleged crimes, such as election fraud. This came after Ms. Suu Kyi and the NLD had landslide victories in the 2020 Myanmar national elections. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), in opposition to the NLD, a party with the military on their side, dominated the elected upper and lower houses up until 2015. They claimed that there had been widespread fraud and demanded a rerun of the entire election. When the election commission stated that these were unfounded claims, the coup was successfully planned and staged, just as parliament was getting back in session.
The new government is now effectively led by commander-in-chief Supreme General Min Aung Hlaing, whose official title now is Chairman of the State Administrative Council. General Hlaing has historically held significant political influence and has kept control over the Tatmadaw (the military of Myanmar) despite the country's shift to democracy, and he has faced criticism for the military's attacks on ethnic minorities. The acting president is former Vice President and previous Acting President of Myanmar Myint Swe.
Following the military takeover were numerous civilian protests around the country demanding a return to democracy. These have been the largest since the 2007 Saffron Revolution, and have included people from all walks of life protesting while being assaulted by water cannons, and curfews and restrictions have been imposed. On February 4, protestors gathered to demand General Hlaing has claimed that the military is on the side of the people, and has promised an election post-state-of-emergency.
The EU, UK, Australia, and recently the US have all condemned the military takeover, and as recently as February 11, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions and asset freezes on 10 current and retired major Myanmar leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing and deputy Soe Win. General Hlaing is not new to this list, as he was already on a 2019 list due to his actions during the Rohingya crisis, and on 3 military-affiliated conglomerates. Janet Yellen, the new and first female Secretary of the Treasury expressed that the US would stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and try to work towards democracy and freedom. She also issued a warning that if more violence occurred at the detriment of peaceful protestors, sanctions would continue to be enacted. The UN has also made statements on the matter, with Secretary-General António Guterres remarking that it was a serious blow to democratic reforms". However, an official statement by the UN Security Council which would have condemned the coup was prevented by China, a country which has long been opposed to internal interference in Myanmar. China urged everyone to "resolve all differences." Lastly, despite their close proximity to Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines have all labeled Myanmar's events as an "internal matter."
However, the story of Myanmar's political divides is not over. As the situation continues to unfold, there will doubtless be even more unrest, but hopefully the nation will find peace.
Sources:
"Aung San Suu Kyi: Myanmar democracy icon who fell from grace." BBC, 3 Feb. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977. Accessed 11 Feb. 2021.
Cuddy, Alice. "Myanmar coup: What is happening and why?" BBC, 9 Feb. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070. Accessed 11 Feb. 2021.
Neuman, Scott. "U.S. 'Stands With The People,' Imposes Sanctions On Myanmar's Coup Leaders." npr, 11 Feb. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/02/11/966946905/u-s-stands-with-the-people-imposes-sanctions-on-myanmars-coup-leaders. Accessed 11 Feb. 2021.
Myanmar's Government: How the System Led to the Coup
By Albert Chen (IV)
Myanmar has had a military coup d'état, resulting in the deposition of the President and State Counselor. This tragic coup and the events following, were all caused by the military deeming the 2020 Burmese elections “fraudulent”, very much like how the former president deemed his results fraudulent. However, if we are to dig deeper into this problem, we have to understand how Myanmar's electoral system works. First of all, we need to recognize the democratic structure of Myanmar, a unitary republic. In other words, the citizens of Myanmar vote for other citizens to represent them in government. The President of Myanmar is elected by an electoral college that functions in a similar manner to that of the United States. Myanmar's State Counselor, who is equal to a Prime Minister, is Myanmar's de facto leader and has all the ruling power. Both members of the government are elected to a term of five years. Myanmar's parliamentary structure is divided into two houses: an upper house called The House of Nationalities, and a lower house called the House of Representatives. Both these houses have 472 seats in total. 392 of those seats were taken by the National League for Democracy (NLD) from 2015 to 2021. The remaining seats are divided between 11 smaller parties and the military, which, even since its removal from power in 2011, still retains political power in Myanmar by having the power to nominate 1⁄4 of all parliamentary members. The NLD won 396 of the 476 seats in Myanmar's most recent election on November 8, 2020, an even bigger lead compared to 2015. This caused the military to declare the votes illegitimate, and on February 1, 2021, a military coup took place in a desperate attempt to retain political power.
Above you see the graphs for the 2020 election results for the upper and lower houses of the Myanmar government. You can clearly see that the National League for Democracy (NLD) has a far majority compared to every other party in both houses. This is followed by the by the military, which although is not a political party, feels threatened by the expansive growth of the NLD.
Graph Source: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-election-2020/
Sources:
"Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi detained as military seizes control". BBC News. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008) (English). Sections 61, 119, 151, 168, 235.
Schooling During Covid: Massachusetts and Rhode Island
By Megan Li (III)
I believe that one of the things that human civilizations were built on is storytelling. While we would be able to list facts and statistics, which are also important, the stories and experiences of other people are equally as important for us to remember. We should try to not lose sight of the tangible impact which this disease has had on individuals, families, communities, and the entire world. The stories which are recounted are not mine; they have been retold and summarized to the best of my ability. This will be a series of stories, and one will be published in each issue. The aim is to connect the statistics and numbers we see on a daily basis to the stories of real people, and as such, to remind ourselves of both our losses and victories in this fight against the coronavirus.
In Rhode Island, Providence, students were able to attend person learning in September, unlike many other urban areas. Elementary age students were able to attend schools five days a week, while middle and high school students received the choice between hybrid schooling and fully remote learning. Even though the city is densely populated, with school buildings in a rather shabby condition, schools have stayed more or less open since September.
The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics have both suggested that schools reopen, as there are many possible negative effects of remote learning on students. Even though research on mental health through the pandemic is still quite limited right now, studies in both Europe and China have found more emotional distress and depressive symptoms in students than before the pandemic. Ever since schools closed last spring, there have been many debates over the risks of reopening schools. Providence has been a study in how some schools have been able to stay open through the pandemic, and the challenges they’ve faced are a learning experience for schools like Boston Latin which are now attempting a return to hybrid learning.
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have had similar COVID-19 rates, yet schooling has been quite different in these neighboring states. Back in September, very few districts in Massachusetts were willing to reopen, while in Rhode Island, the majority of schools opened in September. Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island was the driving factor behind the opening of schools, and continued to advocate through this school year, despite extreme opposition. The return to school required a lot of improvisation as students and teachers reported symptoms, and often resulting in the emergency quarantine, which became called ‘podding in place’ by school authorities. After the State Department of Health became overwhelmed, the school nurse helped with contact tracing. If any of them were tested positive, the entire classroom would be switched to a remote classroom. Transmission due to attending school seemed to be relatively low, and students’ performance in school was generally better if they attended in person school than remote.
The current return to in person learning of Boston Schools will hopefully yield similar results to that of Rhode Island, however, we must continue to adapt and take precautions. This has been a very atypical school year, but we should try to endure.
Sources:
Dominus, Susan. “Rhode Island Kept Its Schools Open. This Is What Happened.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/magazine/school-reopenings-rhode-island.html?smid=url-share.
Toness, Bianca Vázquez, and Dan McGowan. “How Rhode Island Brought Most Students Back for in-Person Learning - and Massachusetts Did Not - The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/18/metro/how-rhode-island-brought-most-students-back-in-person-learning-massachusetts-did-not/.
Biden picks up Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary
By Peter Guo (V)
While the month of January has had its highs and lows, maybe there is one thing that you haven’t heard of, that might give you hope for this country and its future. President Joe Biden has chosen our Boston Mayor Martin (Marty) J. Walsh to be our labor secretary of the United States. Walsh, a 53 year old democrat and a 7-year mayor, would take on a new job, overseeing a raft of federal labor laws, which include but are not limited to health and safety, covering overtime, and worker compensation. Seeing that Walsh has been great for both businesses and workers in his two terms as mayor of Boston, “it’s going to be a breath of fresh air” said Sean O’Brien, president of Teamsters Local 25. A tweet from Marty Walsh himself states “Working people, labor unions, and those fighting every day for their shot at the middle class are the backbone of our economy and of this country. As Secretary of Labor, I’ll work just as hard for you as you do for your families and livelihoods. You have my word.” promised the mayor himself. Walsh and Biden have been close friends for quite a long time now, and the United States of America is ready to see what new changes and improvements that Walsh will bring to help this country back to glory.
Sources:
McDonald, Danny, and Stephanie Ebbert. "Joe Biden picks Mayor Walsh for labor secretary." Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners, 7 Jan. 2021, www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/07/nation/biden-taps-walsh-labor-secretary/.
Accessed 18 Feb. 2021.
Images from above sources: in order of appearance top to bottom, left to right; Licensed Through Creative Commons
BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070),;
The Thaiger (https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/3-arrests-in-bangkok-as-activists-gather-at-burmese-embassy-to-protest-military-coup);
The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/01/threat-of-myanmar-coup-was-never-far-away);
BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070);
World Economic Forum (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/how-does-myanmars-election-work/);
Albert Chen (Graph 1), Information from https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-election-2020/;
Albert Chen (Graph 2), Information from https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-election-2020/;
NBC 10 Boston (https://www.nbcboston.com/massachusetts/949-cases-of-covid-19-reported-at-mass-schools/2266221/);
Just For Fun
Janet Yellen Hamilton-themed Song - Marketplace
We think you'll enjoy this amazing Hamilton-themed remix of Janet Yellen, Biden's Secretary of the Treasury and the first ever woman to hold the position.
Here it is on the Marketplace website (scroll down for the song):
https://www.marketplace.org/2021/01/21/yellen-hamilton-musical-biden-dessa/
Upcoming Online Events
BLS V.O.T.E would like to recommend the following online events for both students and faculty! They are all free to attend, and hopefully will be rather informative. Please let us know if there are any events you would like to recommend by emailing us at vote.bls@gmail.com!
US Foreign Policy: Can Biden repair the damage? Michael McFaul w/ Max Boot
Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
The Mapping Inequality Project
Thursday, March 4, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
Activism and the Humanities by NYU Center for the Humanities
Wednesday, Mar 17, 2021, 6:00 PM EDT
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