Burma Legislature

The Burma Legislature was the legislative body of British Burma from 1936 to 1947. As an elected body, the Legislature of Burma was a bicameral legislature consisting of the 36-seat Senate and the 132-seat House of Representatives.^[1]

Burma Legislature
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate House of Representatives
History
Founded	1936 (1936)
Disbanded	1947 (1947)
Preceded by	Legislative Council of Burma
Succeeded by	Constituent Assembly of Burma
Seats	168 36 (Senate) 132 (House of Representatives)
Elections
Last election	1936 Burmese general election
Meeting place
Rangoon, British Burma

Establishment

The Government of India Act 1935 separated Burma from British India as of 1 April 1937,^[2] and created a 36-seat Senate and a 132-seat House of Representatives.^[3]

Presidents of the Senate

Name	Took office	Left office	Notes
Maung Gyee	16 March 1937	1940	[4][5][6]
Sir Joseph Augustus Maung Gyi	30 August 1940[7]	1942 - 1943?	[6]
?	1945	1947

Speakers of the House of Representatives

Name	Took office	Left office	Notes
Chit Hlaing	12 February 1937	1941	[4][8]
Saw Sydney Loo-Nee	1941	1941	[9][10]
Chit Hlaing	26 March 1941[7]	1942 - 1943?	[11]
?	1945	1947

Bandoola U Sein was President of the State Assembly of Japanese-sponsored State of Burma.^[12]

Notable legislation

In 1938, the Legislature of Burma attempted to remedy the dispossession of rural Burmese farmers who were displaced by Indians, in particular, the Chettiars, by passing the Tenancy Act, Land Purchase Act, and Land Alienation Act.^[13] The Tenancy Act intended to safeguard tenants from eviction and to fix fair rents, while the Land Purchase Act allowed the government to purchase large swathes of land owned by non-agriculturalists to be resold on a tenancy basis to genuine farmers.^[13] In 1938, the Legislature passed into law the progressive University Act.^[14]

References

1. "Government of Burma Act, 1935" (PDF). Government of Burma. King’s Printer of Acts of Parliament. 1935. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
2. "The New Constitution: Separation from India", The Times, 20 April 1937, p36, Issue 47663
3. "Legislature and Electors Burma at the Polls", The Times, 20 April 1937, p37, Issue 47663
4. Reed, Sir Stanley (January 4, 1940). "The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who". Bennett, Coleman & Company – via Google Books.
5. Action, Burma Rights Movement for (January 4, 1937). "The Quarterly Civil List for Burma" – via Google Books.
6. "Burma Handbook". Manager, Government of India Press. 1944.
7. Action, Burma Rights Movement for (1941). "The Quarterly Civil List for Burma".
8. Reed, Sir Stanley (January 4, 1936). "The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who". Bennett, Coleman & Company – via Google Books.
9. Lintner, Bertil (April 24, 2019). Burma In Revolt: Opium And Insurgency Since 1948. Routledge. ISBN 9780429700583 – via Google Books.
10. "Who's who in Burma". People's Literature Committee and House. January 4, 1961 – via Google Books.
11. Chronology of Burma History (1404-1996) (PDF).
12. "Burma Handbook". Manager, Government of India Press. 1944.
13. "Economic Rehabilitation in Burma" (PDF). Current Intelligence Study Number 23. Central Intelligence Agency. 1 June 1945. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
14. Silverstein, Josef (1993). The Political Legacy of Aung San. SEAP Publications. p. 9780877271284.