A MOVEMENT OF MOVEMENTS EMERGES The Gen Z Movement Distinct from Prior Movements In the democratic culture that emerged in Myanmar between 2010 and 2021, many autocratic features remained embedded in ideas about who might participate in politics. Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD successfully captured widespread anti-military sentiment and translated it into outcomes at the ballot box. But the gerontocratic stranglehold of the NLD and its approach alienated the youth, postponed minority concerns over national reconciliation until the Bamar could wrestle free of the military, gave little priority to human rights, and stifled diverse opinions about how to address the broad economic problems facing the nation. Before the coup, many youths steered clear of politics, complaining that they had decided not to vote in the elections because they could not find a candidate that they wanted to support. In a political atmosphere in which messages read as “vote for the party”, not for the candidate, and in which processes for selecting NLD candidates were based on party loyalty rather than personal qualifications, Gen Z became politically disaffected. In the immediate aftermath of the 1 February coup, the protest environment afforded many youths the opportunity to contest not only the coup but the limited scope of democracy offered to their generation. Civil rights, especially the treatment of ethnic minorities, have been a central feature of Gen Z’s movement of values. The movement has been peoplecentred rather than a movement marked by well-defined leadership or centralized political influence. Gen Z aspirations are attitudinal and directed towards a universalism expressive of ideas promoting the defence of democracy and equality—rather than religious, racial or ethnic particularism. The student unions issued apology statements regarding their record of collective negligence and poor treatment of Rohingyas and other ethnic groups that suffered from military offensives in their lands.38 On 26 March 2021, various universities in Mandalay issued statements apologizing to Rohingyas and other minorities for having failed in the past to speak out on their behalf over human rights violations. 38 20 21-J07648 01 Trends_2021-7.indd 20 28/4/21 9:34 AM