Legislation recently introduced by U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) would foster the democratic transition of power in Burma through economic development initiatives.
The Empower Burma Act was introduced while Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Burma and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, made her first visit to Washington, D.C. The bill would require the United States to assume a leadership role in a worldwide coalition that promotes economic development in Burma.
“After returning from Burma and meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi and her top advisors, it was clear to me that one of this government’s top priorities is providing immediate economic benefits to the Burmese people suffering decades of ruinous military rule,” Gardner, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, said. “Nowhere is this more apparent than achieving increased access to electricity, which only a third of Burmese residents enjoy today.”
Under the Empower Burma Act, the administration would be directed to develop a long-term strategy to promote sustainable economic development in Burma, including providing universal access to electricity by 2030.
“The Empower Burma Act aims to help to direct U.S. policy to help Burma tackle its many economic challenges during the democratic transition,” Gardner said. “The United States has an opportunity to lead, and this legislation represents action we can take now to deliver development and democracy — and the freedoms and opportunity that come with it — to the Burmese people.”
The legislation would also support extending U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits to Burma, as well as future Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) assistance if Burma meets program criteria.
“As a once-in-a-generation figure, Aung San Suu Kyi has courageously fought for decades to institute a more open, transparent and fair democracy in Burma,” Sullivan said. “As she visits Washington this week, I am hopeful that the Empower Burma Act will help reaffirm the value that the U.S. places on its evolving partnership with Burma. It is also a critical signal to the Burmese people that they are not alone and that we stand ready to help them address some of the persistent issues that — as new democracy — they now face, such as an ongoing fight for peace, increased civilian control of the military, and improving crippling and widespread poverty.”
The bill would also require that Congress be consulted before existing U.S. sanctions on Burma can be amended or lifted.