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Legislative Council of Burma

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Legislative Council of Burma
Type
Type
History
Founded1897
Disbanded1936
Preceded byHluttaw of Konbaung Dynasty
Succeeded byLegislature of Burma
Seats9 (1897-1923)
103 (1923-1936)
Elections
Last election
1932 Burmese general election
Meeting place
Rangoon, British Burma

The Legislative Council of Burma was the legislative body of British Burma from 1897 to 1936.

Establishment

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It was established in 1897 as an advisory council to the British colonial governor, the Lieutenant-Governor of Burma, in drafting legislation for Burma. The Legislative Council was initially an appointed body,[1] established as a nine-member council consisting of four officials and five nominated non-officials.[2] Its membership, which increased from nine to thirty members, predominantly represented foreign commercial interests.[1] Prior to its establishment, Burmese laws were made in India, whereby laws drafted by the local administration in Burma were submitted to the Legislative Council of India for approval.[2] After the passage of such laws, they were consented to by the Governor-General-in-Council and put into effect through publication within the Burma Gazette.[2]

Restructuring

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On 2 January 1923, with the enactment of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms (which granted British India dyarchy constitution, giving Burma a limited measure of self-rule), the Council was recast as a partially elected body.[3] The new Legislative Council consisted of 103 seats, 80 filled by election, 8 by nomination of non-officials, 13 by nomination of officials, and 2 by members of the Governor's Executive Council ex-officio.[3] The 80 elected seats were divided as follows: 22 to urban constituencies in 8 towns, with 8 of them to the Burmese Indian community; 49 to rural constituencies in 31 districts, with 5 to the Karen; and the remaining given to special constituencies like Rangoon University and various chambers of commerce.[3]

Elections were held in 1922, 1925 and 1928.[4] Burmese nationalists, organized by the General Council of Burmese Associations, boycotted elections to the Legislative Council, and under 7% of the electorate voted in the 1922 elections.[1] Turnout continued to be low: just over 16% in 1925, and 18% in 1928.[5]

Presidents of Legislative Council

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Name Took office Left office Notes
Sir Frank McCarthy February 1923 1925 Died in office[6]
Sir Robert Sydney Giles 1925 1927 [7]
Sir Oscar de Glanville 1927 1930 [8]
U Pu 'Tharrawaddy' 1930 1932 [8][9]
Chit Hlaing 1932 1932 [9][10]
Sir Oscar de Glanville 1932 1935 [8][7][10]
Chit Hlaing 1935 1936 [9][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Robert H. Taylor (2009). The State in Myanmar. NUS Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-9971-69-466-1. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Brown, Ian (1013). Burma's Economy in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107015883.
  3. ^ a b c Maung Maung (2012). Burma's Constitution. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9789401188906.
  4. ^ Carl A. Trocki (1992). "Political Structures in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries". In Nicholas Tarling (ed.). The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia: Volume 2, the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Cambridge University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-521-35506-3. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  5. ^ R. H. Taylor (1996). The Politics of Elections in Southeast Asia: Delusion Or Necessity?. Cambridge University Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-521-56443-4. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  6. ^ Maung, Maung (December 6, 2012). Burma's Constitution. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9789401188920 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Ba U, U. (August 1, 1959). My Burma;the autobiography of a President. New York. hdl:2027/uc1.32106000446796.
  8. ^ a b c "Burma Handbook". Manager, Government of India Press. August 1, 1944 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b c The impact of political thought on Burma's struggle for independence, (1930-1948) /. Ann Arbor. August 1, 1989. hdl:2027/mdp.39015032410535.
  10. ^ a b c https://mllcru.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/8/4/22848786/25256254-chronology-of-burma-history-1404-1996.pdf [bare URL PDF]
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