For the first time in more than two decades, lawmakers in Myanmar, the military-controlled state formerly known as Burma, met in parliament. Normally, such an event would be heralded as a new dawn in a nation's history, a new chapter in Myanmar's march, a true expression of the people's will.
Sadly, we cannot say these words in this event.
Myanmar's election was tightly controlled by the military junta that has trampled on the democratic will of the people for two decades.
The result is not legitimate. Opposition parties were not free to campaign, its leaders silenced or under house arrest, the voters denied their true voice.
It is a spineless attempt to add legitimacy to a morally corrupt regime. It was an opportunity to show the world that the generals who cling to power had the intention to improve Myanmar for the better.
Instead, this parliament is a sham.