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 The UK Conservative Party's Move towards Supporting Democracy in Burma 

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The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission's (a newly formed umbrella group of the UK Conservative Party) hearing on human rights conditions in Burma towards the end of last month dazzled the "leftie" supporters of democracy movement in Burma.  The Conservative Party is seen as the party of business and free market but not the human rights. 

Soon after Aung San Suu Kyi called for an economic sanction on the illegal military regime of Burma the previous Conservative government led by John Major voted out by the Labour government. Hence there is a little access the Conservative government attitude towards the calls by Aung San Suu Kyi.   The successive conservative government's track record on promotion of democratic values abroad do supports the claims made by the "lefties" socialist population of the world. For instance, Margaret Thatcher's friendship with the ex-dictator General Pinacha of Chilli and she condemned the Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela of South Africa as terrorist.  In late 1980's during chronic economic recession, the party's reputation dwindled further when it's government initiated the axing of welfare benefits.

The conservative party is also renowned to have put the human right's agenda on it's international relations.  During the ex-premier John Major's visit to China, then Foreign Secretary Michael Rifkin used the trip to criticise the Chinese government's human rights record.  Recently, the current shadow education secretary Boris Johnson too used his trip to China to speak for democracy and human rights in China.  The shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague speaking at the hearing on Burma at the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission promised to put the democratic values and human rights on it's foreign policy and look at the role of British diplomatic service in promoting democracy.

The Conservative influential grass root supporters like Ben Roger and James Mawdlsley are also fervent advocates of democracy in Burma.  No doubt, Burmese democracy movement cannot affiliate itself to any one political party of Britain but UK Conservative Party deserves a cautious support from the Burmese political parties in exile.  Let us hope the youngest leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron's courageous move to change the party's policies inline with the current day society of Britain and the world means seriously with his words against the brutal dictators of the world.  The change in the Conservative Party's policies does reflect the change the attitude of people of Britain towards the military dictator of Burma in relative context. 

Ko Sala 

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