How the Coup Crushed Reform and Restored the Generals’ Grip

The Coup

As planned, the coup in February 2021 restored direct and unregulated control over these revenue streams to the military, enabling the generals to operate independently of civilian oversight.

In his book “Best Laid Plans – The Inside Story of Reform in Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar,” economist Sean Turnell writes, “Dismembering and reversing the economic reforms that had played out in Myanmar since 2010, but especially under the civilian NLD government, was a central objective of the new junta.

“Min Aung Hlaing and his team had long been hostile to the liberalizing approach of the NLD government, preferring state direction to decentralized economic reform and the outcomes of the market,” writes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s economic advisor.