Simon Tay quoted by Reuters on reform in Myanmar and Asia
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Although part of a trend toward more political openness in the region, developments in Myanmar and other Asian countries have been driven mostly by governments or through elections, rather than a replay of the Arab Spring.
Recent changes in Myanmar appear to have been driven by the government, rather than any popular sentiment, as could be said about Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, says Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
“Ground up policies do matter, democracies which we called autocratic or elite before are having to recognise the ground elements much more,” he said. “The question is whether people outside those elites can use those sentiments against the established elites in all three countries.”
