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Editorial: Gone with the Wind

Gone are the days of any hope of reconciliation with military generals by means of dialogue.

Gone are our dreams of convening a parliament with elected people’s representatives and forming broad-based coalition government including both civil politicians and military generals.

Such days are long gone_ gone in the destructive gale force winds of genocidal military authoritarianism.

Our dreams have been crushed. Our hopes, destroyed.

Our people, killed. Our sisters, raped. Our brothers, forced labourers and porters for the army. Our lands, confiscated. Our villages, burned down. Our futures, non-existent.

But about 16 years ago today, we were very full of hope. We were dreaming that after election victory_ Burma’s one and only free and fair democratic election in nearly fifty years’ time_ we would reconcile with our illegitimate military rulers, we would have round-table dialogue with military junta leaders, we would form a coalition transitional government, we would draw up a genuinely democratic federal constitution along with our ethnic brothers, etc, etc.

But nothing happened although ‘16 years’ has passed by. Sixteen years has gone, since last election, without a whiff of the smell of democracy, let alone federalism.

During these sixteen years they have put our leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in detention time and again_ she is serving her eleventh year of house-arrest currently under total incommunicado conditions. Our ethnic leaders have been given a hundred years sentences each. Thousands of political activists are literally rotting in jails. Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced ethnic people are hiding in jungles to escape genocide by regime’s army, while many a hundred girls who cannot escape are brutally gang-raped by regime’s soldiers.

Now our sole hope the National League for Democracy is on the brink of being eliminated. Regime has openly expressed their intention of declaring NLD unlawful. Moreover, many ethnic resistance forces have been forced to surrender.

On the other hand, regime is building up their own militant semi-political organization in the style of NAZI party of Germany in 1930s; but they give it a misleading name, Union Solidarity and Development Association.

And regime shamelessly have a rubberstamp convention in progress to produce a pro-military constitution with such clauses as “Army can intervene in civilian politics as much as and at any time and in any way they like” and “Presidents must come from  military backgrounds” .

At the same time, regime’s Senior General and his family are starting to take on Royal status. Any one who goes to their house, or rather Palace, has to sit on the floor while the General’s family themselves sit on throne-like chairs. Subordinates have to say “Phaya”, meaning your Majesty, to Than Shwe family. Moreover, ordinary people have to keep their hands clasped in a worshipful manner when they speak to military officers. And recently they named their new Capital as “Naypyidaw” meaning Royal City.

So it has become very clear now that our hopes of democracy and federalism are blown away and our country has been going down the drains while military generals are dreaming up their Royal fantasies.

Dr. Tayza

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Comments

Angle Naw said _

A very good editorial....but there must be hope.  Is not Aung San Suu Kyi from military background, being the daughter of General Aung San!

David Law said _

Let me suggest including the satire photo of King Thibaw's photo with the face of Gen.  Than Shwe which can be found in hittaing.org, published not so long ago.

Fiona Thompson said _

If the constitution says that the President/Prime Minister must have a military background, as I understand it, none of Than Shwe's family has this. How then can he reconcile his dynastic delusions, if he has put them out of context in the constitution?

Kyaw Tun said _

It is true that our hopeful dreams were shattered by uneducated Military bosses' arrogant deeds but we should not lose hope. Please add some encouraging editorial also.

Tein Gyar Min Gaung said _

Good job! We need to encourage our people inside Burma. We need to motivate them not to give up Hope and to be united to resist the  unlawful ruling by Single Idiot (Senior General). Your editorial exemplified a Canine sitting on the Royal Throne.

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