The Importance of Legitimacy in Myanmar’s Peacemaking Efforts

This paper analyzes the importance of legitimacy in Myanmar’s peacemaking efforts, from 2011 onwards. Government legitimacy is crucial for peace, development and administration. Lack of public support poses significant risks to the peace process. Myanmar’s peacemaking efforts have been largely inspired from within, despite the influence of some outside pressures on the process. The Myanmar government has the capacity to effectively implement its vision for the peace process, if it has a strong moral leadership and if it maintains legitimacy in dealing with non-state peacemakers. Therefore, this study examines the quality of leadership and government legitimacy at the local level, drawing on fieldwork to explore different perspectives from NCA signatories and non-NCA signatories in the democratic transitional period. A better understanding of legitimacy improves the analysis of the ongoing peace process in Myanmar. The paper’s findings provide insights on how the NLD government can best deal with the remaining EAGs for future political communication in order to secure a sustainable and liberal peace