In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy The future Burma’s journalists and editors have demonstrated a remarkable resilience, both under the military junta and during the current political transition. The opposition party they supported for decades—the NLD—is now in power, led by the iconic leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As election coverage was fiercely partisan, coverage of the new government is testing journalistic independence, skills, professionalism, and entrenched self-censorship. The military—far from gone—retains 25 percent of (unelected) parliamentary seats, as well as power over key ministries, and continues to perpetuate a climate of fear that restricts free expression and media independence. It is clear that media are not one of the NLD’s priorities.60 Given the state of the country, including growing conflict, fragile ceasefires, and complex peace talks, this may, in some ways, be understandable. Yet until there is real reform, the current and expanding state of capture will continue to undermine media’s efforts to build resilient and sustainable operations, and to provide independent journalism and investigations. This, in turn, will threaten efforts to nurture a free expression and free media environment that promotes and protects informed dialogue, open debate, and government transparency and accountability as a crucial foundation for Burma’s democratic transition. Media practitioners and advocates are calling on the NLD government to create a more level playing field for private media by reducing the number of state media (through privatization or closure), and by opening up the broadcast sector. They also want legal reform that protects, promotes and decriminalizes free expression and media freedom—including the abolishment of Section 66(d) of the telecommunications law—guarantees right to information, and ensures the independence of the judiciary, and for remaining pre- and post-publication censorship to be abolished. Although many countries in Southeast Asia have Ministries of Information, they say there is no place for one in a democracy. They want the current Minister of Information to be the last one. Yet according to Thiha Saw, it is media ownership that is “the most concerning thing.”61 Media need to push the government to enforce the new broadcasting law before 2020 (when the next election will be held), and to establish a professional and ethical licensing system. This would go a long way toward creating a more level playing field. Coupled with the closure of state print media, it is one of the best chances, at least for now, of chipping away at state, military and crony dominance in the media sector, and of mitigating the extent, and growth, of media capture. 74