Abstract: How do totemic political dissidents behave once propelled into their first elected office? Can the resources and strategies they initially develop explain their subsequent electoral (mis)fortunes? This talk investigates the legislative activity of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's iconic politician, when she was an opposition backbencher in Myanmar’s first ‘post-junta’ parliament (2012-2016). It draws evidence from Burmese-language proceedings and field interviews to shed light on the behaviour and tactics used by such a near-mythical figure transitioning from a position of informal authority to official power. What legislative tools did the iconic dissident use in a legislature dominated by an army-backed ruling party and military-appointed legislators? Did she act as party whip? Did she model herself as a frontbencher disciplining MPs, and steadily holding government bodies accountable? What does her legislative action (or lack thereof) tell us about the role and influence of emblematic dissenters propelled into their first elected post?
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