 | ||
| ||
80 (out of 130) seats in the Legislative Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 6.9% | |
 |
|---|
| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Myanmar |
|
|
Legislative Council elections were held in Burma on 21 November 1922, [1] the first in the country's history. [2]
The Legislative Council had 103 members, of which 80 were elected; 58 "non-communal" seats elected by a common roll, and 22 "communal" seats reserved for ethnic minorities (eight for Indians, five for Karens, one European and one Anglo-Indian) and business groups (two for the Burma Chamber of Commerce, and one each for the Burmese Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the Rangoon Trades Association and Rangoon University). [3] A further 21 seats were appointed by the Governor (a maximum of 14 of which could be government officials) and there were also two ex officio members, the two members of the Executive Council of the Governor. [3]
The Legislative Council of Burma was the legislative body of British Burma from 1897 to 1936.
Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian origin who live in Burma. While Indians have lived in Burma for many centuries, most of the ancestors of the current Burmese Indian community emigrated to Burma from the start of British rule in the mid-19th century to the separation of British Burma from British India in 1937. During British times, ethnic Indians formed the backbone of the government and economy serving as soldiers, civil servants, merchants and moneylenders. A series of anti-Indian riots beginning in 1930 and mass emigration during the Japanese occupation of Burma followed by the forced expulsion of 1962 left ethnic Indians with a much reduced role in Burma.
The Karen, Kayin, Kariang or Yang people refer to a number of individual Sino-Tibetan language-speaking ethnic groups, many of which do not share a common language or culture. These Karen groups reside primarily in Kayin State, southern and southeastern Myanmar. The Karen make up approximately seven percent of the total Burmese population with approximately five million people. A large number of Karen have migrated to Thailand, having settled mostly on the Thailand–Myanmar border. Few Karens settled in Andaman and Nicobar islands India and other South-East Asian and East Asian countries.
All citizens over the age of 18 were enfranchised as long as they met certain requirements. [4] Suffrage in the 44 rural constituencies was based on taxation - in Upper Burma voters had to pay household tax, whilst in Lower Burma they had to pay the married rate of capitation tax. [4] This requirement disenfranchised most of the peasantry. [2] In eight towns with urban constituencies the same requirements as for local elections were applied. [4] Of the country's 12 million population, only 1.8 million were eligible to vote, [2] as the Shan States and some border districts were not part of the election. [4] Separate seats were established for Karen, Eurasians and Europeans. [5]
The Shan States (1885–1948) were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called mueang whose rulers bore the title saopha in British Burma. They were analogous to the princely states of British India.
Candidates had to be aged 25 or over. [4]
The election was contested by moderates and radical nationalists. [2] Whilst the moderates aimed to change the system from within, the nationalists campaigned for separation from India and home rule. [2] The General Council of Burmese Associations called for a boycott of the election, although one faction formed the 21 Party to contest it.
The British Raj was the rule by the British Crown in the Indian subcontinent from 1858 to 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India. The region under British control was commonly called British India or simply India in contemporaneous usage, and included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom, which were collectively called British India, and those ruled by indigenous rulers, but under British tutelage or paramountcy, and called the princely states. The whole was also informally called the Indian Empire. As India, it was a founding member of the League of Nations, a participating nation in the Summer Olympics in 1900, 1920, 1928, 1932, and 1936, and a founding member of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945.
The General Council of Burmese Associations (GCBA), also known as the Great Burma Organisation, was a political party in Burma.
The 21 Party was a political party in Burma in the 1920s led by U Ba Pe.
Candidates were accused of selling out to the British authorities, and voters were intimidated by campaigners calling for a boycott and nationalist monks. [2] Of the 80 elected seats, 24 were uncontested. [1] For the remaining seats there were 162 candidates. [1]
The 21 Party led by U Ba Pe emerged as the largest in the Council with 28 of the 58 non-communal seats. [6] The Progressive Party won around 15 seats, and the remaining seats were won by independents. [7] In Rangoon three moderates and one "extremist" were elected. [1] Voter turnout was very low, at just 6.9%. [2]
The Independent Party, also known as the Golden Valley Party or, was a pro-British political party in Burma during the 1920s and 1930s. Its leadership included Joseph Maung Gyi, U Khin and U May Oung.
Following the elections, the Progressive Party gained in strength as several of members representing communal or commercial seats had joined it. [7] Governor Harcourt Butler formed a mixed cabinet, including members of both parties; U Maung Gyee of the 21 Party was appointed Minister for Education, Local Government and Public Health, whilst Joseph Maung Gyi of the Progressive Party became Minister for Agriculture, Excise Control and Forests. In addition, U Maung Kin was appointed Minister of Home Affairs. [8] The other cabinet members were the Governor and a civil servant as Minister of Financial Affairs. [9]
When U Maung Kin died in 1924 he was replaced by U May Oung, and later in the year Joseph Maung Gyi was made a High Court judge and was replaced by U Pu. [8]
Bogyoke Aung San served as the 5th Premier of the British Crown Colony of Burma from 1946 to 1947. Initially he was a communist and later a social democratic politician. He was known as a revolutionary, nationalist, and as the founder of the Tatmadaw, and is considered the Father of the Nation of modern-day Myanmar. He was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Burma.
The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, or hpa hsa pa la (ဖဆပလ) by its Burmese acronym, was the main political alliance in Burma from 1945 until 1958. It was founded by the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) led by Thakin Soe, the Burma National Army (BNA) led by Aung San, and the People's Revolutionary Party (PRP) at a meeting held between 1–3 March 1945 as a reorganised version of the Anti-Fascist Organisation (AFO), formed to resist the Japanese occupation. The new organisation aimed to resist the Japanese occupation and achieve independence.
Ba Swe was the second Premier of Burma. He was a leading Burmese politician during the decade after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. He held the position of prime minister from 12 June 1956 to 28 February 1957. When Ba Swe became prime minister, Time magazine reported the news in an article titled: 'The Day of the Tiger' based on his nickname 'Big Tiger' since his university days in the 1930s as a student leader.
General elections were held for the first time in Singapore on 20 March 1948, when six of the 22 seats on the Legislative Council became directly-elected. Voting was not compulsory and was restricted to British subjects, who constituted around 2% of the 940,000 population. Although various organisations called for a boycott of the elections, voter turnout was 63.1%.
General elections were held in Singapore on 10 April 1951 to elect nine seats on the Legislative Council, up from six seats in the 1948 elections. A 32-day-long campaign period was scheduled, with nomination day on 8 March 1951. The result was a victory for the Progressive Party, which won six of the nine seats.
Bo Hmu Aung, born San Hlaing was a member of the Thirty Comrades. He has served as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, was the lower house of the bicameral Union Parliament of Burma.
Dobama Asiayone, commonly known as the Thakhins, was a Burmese nationalist group formed around the 1930s and composed of young, disgruntled intellectuals. Drawing their name from the way in which the British were addressed during colonial times, the party was established by Ba Thaung in May 1930, bringing together traditionalist Buddhist nationalist elements and fresh political ideals. It was significant in stirring up political consciousness in Burma, and drew most of its support base from students.
The fourth legislative council election to Madras Presidency after the establishment of dyarchical system of government by the Government of India Act, 1919 in September 1930. Justice party won the election and P. Munuswamy Naidu became the first Chief Minister. The main opposition party - Swaraj Party did not contest the elections due to its participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The second legislative council election to Madras Presidency after the establishment of dyarchical system of government by the Government of India Act, 1919 was held in 1923. Voter turnout was higher than the previous election. Swarajists, a breakaway group from Indian National Congress participated in the election. The ruling Justice Party had suffered a split, when a splinter group calling themselves anti-Ministerialists left the party. It won the highest number of seats but fell short of a majority. Nevertheless, Madras Governor Willington invited it to form the government. Incumbent Justice chief minister Panagal Raja was nominated by party leader Theagaraya Chetty to continue as chief minister for a second term. The government survived a no-confidence motion, brought against it on the very first day of its tenure by the opposition headed by C. R. Reddy.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party, which was registered on 8 June 2010 by the Union Election Commission, currently standing as an opposition political party, is the successor to the Burmese government's mass organisation, the Union Solidarity and Development Association. It was headed by President Thein Sein until 2013, and its headquarters are in Naypyidaw's Dekkhinathiri Township.
The Assembly of the Union is the national-level bicameral legislature of Myanmar established by the 2008 National Constitution. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is made up of two houses, the Amyotha Hluttaw, a 224-seat upper house as well as the Pyithu Hluttaw, a 440-seat lower house.
General elections were held in Burma on 26 November 1936. The Government of Burma Act 1935 separated Burma from British India as of 1 April 1937, and created a 36-seat Senate and a 132-seat House of Representatives. The pro-constitution United GCBA of U Ba Pe emerged as the largest bloc in the House of Representatives, winning 46 seats. However, few parties were willing to work with U Ba Pe, and the Governor invited Ba Maw to form a government, despite his Poor Man's Party winning only 16 seats. Maw became Chief Minister after forming a coalition with Chit Hlaing and other "moderate extremists".
Elections to the Legislative Council were held in Burma on 17 November 1925. Under the terms of the dyarchy constitution, the Legislative Council of Burma was advisory to the British colonial governor, and had some direct authority over education, local government, public health, agriculture and forests. The Nationalist Party received the most votes, but was unable to form a government as the British authorities favoured the Independent Party, who formed a government led by Joseph Maung Gyi.
The Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) was a Buddhist cultural organisation in Burma.
Aung Zan Wai was a Burmese politician. He was born in Sittwe, Kyauktaw, British Burma in 1893. Aung Zan Wai, along with Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were most important negotiators and leaders of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Burma national top leader Aung San and other top leaders in 1947. All these leaders decided to join together to form the Union of Burma. The signing is now celebrated as a national holiday, Union Day, in Myanmar.
Sir Joseph Augustus Maung Gyi was a Burmese barrister, judge, diplomat, politician and administrator who served as the Acting Governor of British Burma during the tenure of Charles Alexander Innes, who was away on sick leave in the United Kingdom. He had served variously cabinet minister such as Minister of Forestry, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Education and Public Health during the colonial era.
