By Sayar Ngatt / MPA
NAYPYIDAW — General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military commission, has stepped up efforts to assert the legal legitimacy of his regime, visiting the remote Naga Self-Administered Zone on Monday to rally civil servants and local residents.
During the visit, the coup leader reiterated his long-standing claim that the 2021 military takeover was conducted in accordance with the 2008 Constitution.
Political analysts view this move as a renewed attempt to deflect mounting domestic and international pressure and to shore up a governing apparatus that is increasingly seen as “tottering.”
In a direct appeal to the bureaucracy, Min Aung Hlaing told government employees that they must continue their duties regardless of changes in government. Activists suggest this rhetoric is an attempt to repair a civil service decimated by the massive Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and ongoing administrative paralysis.
“He is targeting staff in remote areas to ensure they remain within the mechanism,” one activist noted. “However, sources on the ground say these employees are working under extreme fear and pressure, rather than out of loyalty or belief in the commission’s governance.”
The General’s assertion that the military serves the national interest regardless of the administration has been criticized by observers as a reaffirmation of the military’s desire to remain above political authority.
This stance stands in direct opposition to the democratic principle of civilian control over the armed forces.
While Min Aung Hlaing used nationalistic slogans such as “born of this soil, drinking this water” to appeal to the Naga people, local sentiment remains skeptical.
“They are talking about legitimacy while commodity prices soar and lives are being destroyed by conflict. It’s completely out of touch with reality,” said a Naga resident who recently fled to Thailand.
The visit to the Naga region is being interpreted by analysts as a carefully staged performance to project an image of “business as usual.” Despite losing significant territory to resistance forces across the country, the junta continues to use high-profile regional visits to mask a deepening military and political crisis.
As the gap between the military’s narrative and the lived reality of the population widens, experts warn that these attempts to manufacture legitimacy are unlikely to stabilize an administration that is losing its grip on the country’s periphery.
