Aung San Suu Kyi's Popularity Is a Mixed Blessing for the Opposition in Myanmar YANGON - If members of the National League for Democracy sit in Myanmar's Parliament today, it's thanks to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Not only has she been the main opposition party's leader, figurehead and inspiration since its creation in the aftermath of a bloody military crackdown in 1988. Last month, she was also instrumental in deciding that, after all, it wasn't worth staying out of power for a relatively small matter of principle. For a time, the N.L.D. was refusing to occupy its newly won 43 legislative seats in protest over having to pledge allegiance to the Myanmar Constitution, which it rejects as undemocratic. But after missing a few days of Parliament's new session, the N.L.D. rescinded, largely, party insiders say, at the behest of Aung San Suu Kyi and over the objections of other N.L.D. heavyweights. Is Aung San Suu Kyi's dominance good for the party? Amid rumors that her health may have begun to fail her, one wonders: what's the N.L.D. without her? Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of the national hero Aung San, who is credited with securing Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948. In 1988, when she was still an Oxford housewife, she returned to her homeland to care for her ailing mother. The trip happened to coincide with a huge uprising and subsequent government crackdown, and those circumstances unexpectedly pushed her into politics. She promptly embraced her new role, often sacrificing her personal life to her public mission. The Lady has since played a significant part in all of the N.L.D."s major decisions. In 1995 she advocated walking out of the state-managed national convention that had been set up to draft a new constitution, and she called for boycotting the general elections of 2010. Last year she decided that the N.L.D. should formally reenter politics after the country's military rulers adopted a nominally democratic system of government. Then she convinced other party members to participate in last month's parliamentary by-elections despite the opposition of some who are skeptical of current reforms. During her extended periods of house arrest, the N.L.D."s record was sometimes lackluster. The party was criticized for being aloof in 2007, when the army cracked down on thousands of Buddhist monks who had staged antigovernment protests. A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from Yangon described the N.L.D."s leaders of the time - not Aung San Suu Kyi, who wasn't free - as "sclerotic" and unwilling to cooperate with the new generation of dissidents and activists. Currently, the N.L.D."s three founders - Aung San Suu Kyi, 66; Win Tin, 83; and the former defense minister Tin Oo, 85 - make all critical decisions, in limited consultation with the party's central executive committee. Though Tin Oo is said to be a passive follower of Aung San Suu Kyi's, Win Tin is not, but his voice gets drowned out by those of her supporters. The Lady is not dictatorial in her presentation of ideas, but many readily gravitate to her views. That's how we reach consensus in the party," Win Tin, a N.L.D. leader, told me earlier this month. Aung San Suu Kyi's vast clout over the N.L.D. should be a source of concern, especially considering rumors about her health. She sought medical care repeatedly while under house arrest, and last month she had to momentarily suspend campaigning because she felt too weak. Health issues could force her aside even before she has a chance to run for president in 2015 - perhaps imperiling the entire party's prospects then. The N.L.D. must prepare now for life after Aung San Suu Kyi. It has already taken some steps in that direction, though not enough. It has recruited, and in the April by-elections, it fielded young people as candidates. But most newcomers are grassroots activists with little education or professional training. The N.L.D. has yet to attract young, politically minded scholars and technocrats: in the face of the party's ossified structure and operations, they have preferred to undertake social and political activities independently. The popularity of Aung San Suu Kyi has long held the party together. Only now it is threatening to hold it back. Swe Win is a freelance journalist based in Yangon.