The Antagonism between Centralization and Decentralization of Power : The Way Federal Movement in the 1960s was Regarded as Separatism under the Military Regime

This study examines the process of denying the “Federal Movement” in the first years of the 1960s under the military regime from 1962. Myanmar gained independence on 4th January 1948. From then on, the people in the frontier areas, especially politicians in the Shan State, started to seek the autonomy of their state. The general election in 1960 opened the way to discuss these dissatisfactions. The Shan State government organized the research commission on the 1947 constitution of Myanmar, and the commission compiled the report known as the “Shan Federal Proposal.” This report, whose outline was written by U Tun Myint (Taunggyi), was approved by delegates of the Shan State at the convention held on 25th February 1961. Furthermore, it was discussed by politicians, including other ethnic minorities, at the 1961 Taunggyi Conference. Even though the Shan politicians and other ethnic group leaders demanded only the change of the state structure into more decentralization of power and the improvement of the grant from the central government to the state government, the military seized the power and strongly criticized the“Federal Movement” as the rebellion towards the government. Through comparison of the “Shan State Proposal,” which suggested the constitutional amendment for the realization of federalism, and the pamphlet which was compiled by the Burmese Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) and advocated national unity for public interests, it can be said that the military regime banned from demanding the decentralization of the central government’s power. As a result, federalism in Myanmar was and has been seen as “separatism”and “rebellious”despite its nature of national integration.