Democracy and Its Loopholes:The Quiet Threat of Demographic and Sectarian Ambitions

By Warazein, GAN

Shortread: opinions                                                                             April 28, 2025

U Ko Ni delivering his speech (photocrd)

Democracy promises rule by the people, protection of rights, and the inclusion of all citizens. Yet, hidden within its structure lie critical loopholes—vulnerabilities that can be exploited not to serve freedom and equality, but to pursue narrow sectarian ambitions. When democracy becomes a tool for identity-based domination rather than civic integration, it risks tearing nations apart from within.

One case that illustrates this peril vividly is Myanmar.

In Myanmar, democracy seemed poised to take root after decades of military rule. However, underlying currents of demographic and sectarian ambitions have threatened this fragile progress. The case of U Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and senior member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), serves as a stark reminder. Despite the tremendous trust placed in him by Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Ko Ni encouraged his religious community to consolidate their demographic strength and shape Myanmar’s political landscape along sectarian lines. His 2014 speech to Muslim voters was not a call for civic participation based on merit or national unity; it was a call to mobilize religious identity as a political weapon.

Even more troubling, U Ko Ni was not an isolated figure. Radicalized segments within Myanmar's Muslim community have increasingly adopted demographic and political strategies aimed at overwhelming non-Muslim populations. Reports of "love jihad"—targeting non-Muslim girls for conversion through marriage—have exacerbated social tensions. Recent intelligence from Bangladesh indicates that Chittagonian Muslim (Rohingya) leaders such as Dil Mohammad have held secret meetings, inciting jihad and hatred against non-Muslim communities in Arakan (Rakhine State). In such a climate, Myanmar's sovereignty, social cohesion, and prospects for peaceful coexistence are under serious threat.

Pro-Junta Protestors in Buthidaung (photocrd)

This strategy—using demographic growth, political bloc voting, and sectarian mobilization—is not unique to Myanmar. Global history offers sobering lessons:

• Lebanon: Once a thriving, diverse democracy, Lebanon collapsed into civil war in the 1970s as demographic shifts and sectarian ambitions destabilized its political framework.

• Kosovo: Demographic shifts driven by ethnic Albanian majorities led to demands for separation, armed conflict, and regional instability that persists to this day.

• France and parts of Western Europe: Large, unassimilated migrant populations influenced by radical ideologies have challenged national identity and security.

• Nigeria: Islamist groups like Boko Haram have combined violence with demographic dominance strategies to push for separatist religious governance, undermining national unity.

  
  

These examples show that when demographic manipulation and sectarian identity politics infiltrate democratic frameworks, they pose a clear and present danger to national integrity and global peace.

Chittagonian Refugees in Bangladesh (photocrd)

It is critical to distinguish between ordinary, moderate Muslims—many of whom seek only peaceful lives as citizens—and radical leaders who exploit religion for political gain. Moderate Muslims must be embraced as essential partners in nation-building, particularly in regions like Arakan where extremism is more pronounced. At the same time, radical ambitions must be exposed and countered with lawful, principled, and firm actions.

Myanmar, and indeed the world, must recognize these threats openly. Global recognition is needed that demographic manipulation, religious extremism, and sectarian mobilization are serious threats to international peace—not merely internal affairs of "other" nations.

Democracy cannot be allowed to become a Trojan Horse for sectarian conquest. True democracy must be defended by citizens voting as civic individuals loyal to their nation—not as soldiers of sectarian agendas. We must stand together for humanity, national unity, and a peaceful, inclusive future where no group, majority or minority, is permitted to hijack the democratic process.

If we fail to uphold these principles, we risk losing not only our political systems but the very soul of our nations.

Only by closing these loopholes can democracy truly fulfill its promise—not just in Myanmar, but across the world.