Myanmar’s Junta: Failed Governance In The Face Of Nature’s Wrath – OpEd

As the floodwaters of Typhoon Yagi recede in Myanmar, they reveal more than just physical devastation. They underscore an ancient belief ingrained in Chinese and Southeast Asian Buddhist-Hindu traditions: poor governance invites nature's wrath.

For millennia, these cultures have held that unjust rulers bring about droughts, famines, and disasters. Central to this belief is the Chinese concept of the "Mandate of Heaven" (天命, Tiānmìng), which holds that rulers are granted divine authority only as long as they govern justly. Heaven withdraws its mandate when rulers fail, often manifesting displeasure through natural disasters.

The term "tian zai" (天災), meaning "heavenly disaster," embodies this belief—that calamities are divine retribution for failed governance.

In the wake of Typhoon Yagi, with over 300 dead, hundreds missing, and more than 630,000 affected, this ancient wisdom feels eerily prophetic. Over 2,000 houses have been destroyed, thousands more damaged, and 1,000 schools and 370 religious buildings lie in ruins. The agricultural sector, a lifeline for millions, has been particularly devastated, with over 640,000 acres of farmland destroyed.

The military junta’s mismanagement of Yagi echoes its disastrous responses to Cyclones Nargis in 2008 and Mocha in 2023. Once again, the regime has turned a natural disaster into a man-made catastrophe by obstructing aid, delaying visas for relief workers, and prioritizing political control over human lives. The junta’s failures as stewards of the land and its people are glaring, and the preventable nature of these disasters should serve as a wake-up call for change.

But their guilt runs deeper than disaster response. For decades, the military’s greed and corruption have laid waste to Myanmar’s environment. Forests once covering 70% of the country have been decimated by military-backed illegal logging operations, leading to environmental degradation and making the land vulnerable to flooding and erosion. These are not merely natural disasters but the consequences of a regime’s reckless exploitation of the land.

The junta’s economic policies, focused on self-enrichment, have stunted national development, leaving infrastructure woefully unprepared for disasters. While neighboring countries invested in flood control, early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure, Myanmar’s progress has stalled. Poverty, which had dropped to 25% in 2017, doubled by 2022, a direct consequence of the junta’s mismanagement. The country’s economy has contracted by 10% since 2019, and this year, it is forecast to grow at a dismal 1%, with nearly half the population living in poverty. These figures tell the story of a nation struggling under political instability, economic hardship, and environmental catastrophe.

Typhoon Yagi only compounds this dire situation. Inadequate urban drainage worsened the flooding, while the junta’s underinvestment in emergency services crippled rescue efforts. The regime’s obsession with control led to blocked communications during the disaster, further isolating affected communities from help. These actions reveal a state more concerned with maintaining power than saving lives.

Meanwhile, resistance forces and civil society networks have risen to the occasion. For instance, the United League of Arakan (ULA) evacuated communities ahead of Cyclone Mocha and has played a crucial role in the current relief efforts. These grassroots organizations embody the ideals of responsible governance that contrast with the junta’s disregard for its people. During Yagi, the junta failed even to issue storm warnings or coordinate rescue efforts, exacerbating the disaster by opening dam floodgates without warning.

Paradoxically, the junta has appealed for international assistance while simultaneously blocking its delivery, particularly in resistance-held areas like Kayah and southern Shan states. Disturbingly, the regime continues to bomb and shell rebel-held towns in Northern Shan state, using its aircraft for attacks rather than rescue missions.

The international community has responded with aid pledges, and Singapore and India have already made air delivery, but the junta’s restrictions render much of it ineffective. While some aid has reached junta-controlled areas, many regions remain isolated due to communication blackouts. The junta’s politicization of humanitarian assistance is not only morally reprehensible but also a violation of international humanitarian law.

This situation demands a radical rethinking of how aid is delivered to Myanmar. Neighboring countries should consider cross-border operations to assist directly to resistance-held areas. International actors must bypass the junta wherever possible, coordinating with local resistance authorities and civil society networks that have proven more capable and trustworthy. Additionally, sustained pressure must be applied to the regime to lift aid and communication restrictions. The lives of millions are at stake.

The aftermath of Typhoon Yagi is a clarion call for immediate humanitarian intervention and long-term strategies to address Myanmar’s environmental and developmental crises. However, these solutions cannot be realized under a regime that prioritizes self-preservation over the welfare of its people. The junta’s contradictory stance—requesting aid while obstructing its delivery—reveals its fundamental illegitimacy and inability to govern.

As the waters of Yagi recede, they leave behind a stark reminder of the urgent need for political change. The international community must recognize that providing aid through the junta risks legitimizing a regime that has consistently prioritized military enrichment over ecological and human development. The compounding crises of conflict, poverty, environmental destruction, and natural disasters call for a new approach to aid—one that supports local actors who embody principles of responsible governance and environmental stewardship.

In both traditional belief and modern reality, the junta has lost its mandate to govern. It is time for the international community to act accordingly, to empower the people of Myanmar, and to hold the regime accountable for the suffering it has caused.