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Burma Digest Current Issue

A Call for Social Sanctions against the Myanmar Regime

An Appeal from a Burmese Expatriate to All Burmese/Myanmar Expatriates

Migalaba All,

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest has been extended. It may be just a political ploy testing the public opinion, commitments and motivation of Burmese inside and outside Burma, probing whether unrests will occur or not, testing the limits of UN and free world.
Whatever it is, the move lacks sincerity.  It confirms those accusations that some guys at the top of Myanmar regime are playing hardball, zero-sum game against the opposition.
Since most of us are still holding Burmese/Myanmar citizenship we are stakeholders.  We can vote with our feet by emigrating, giving up Burmese/Myanmar citizenship, migrate elsewhere since it is possible with our talents, skills, qualifications.

Alternatively we could show our care or love of our country by openly criticizing it, giving feedback to people in power by showing our disagreement with their acts, by showing our disapproval by non-coalition with them at all levels. 

Even under current restrictions, we could still show our support for reforms, changes for better tomorrow for Burma without breaking laws.

Following are some of my ideas but the list is by no means exhaustive.  I welcome other ideas to add up to my own.

(1) When we go back and visit home, we can avoid paying money under the table at
all stages.  We must keep our honesty, self-respect and integrity.  This may cause some nuisances but it will do good for any government in long run.

(2) Who those have families in high position, try to enlighten them, criticize their bosses' short coming, misdoings, challenge their ideas, convince them, educate them. It may risk personal relationships with powerful relatives and friends but it may let them know that we disagree with them. This may trigger the action to upwards in long term. By letting
them know that we love country, we care for it by monitoring its progress and we dislike or disapprove some of their acts, it will gauge their actions and it may eventually lead to  reforms.

(3) When we make social gatherings, charities, we can avoid kinship/friendship with those who are serving Military, USDA or any organization that serves interest of people holding the State's Power. This trivial but symbolic citizens' action might have impact if each and every one of us starts practicing it.  No invitation of those unwanted people in houses, ceremonies, not dealing with them if not necessary will be a way of showing support for opposition.

(4) We can deal the same way with Burmese businesses operating in overseas in that way too. If a shop or business is not pro-democratic forces, we will stop using their services, buying products; we will vote with our wallets.  For those in places who are in Singapore, Perth, L.A, where considerable expatriate Burmese community live. We will only buy from businesses those support democratic causes. We will not eat, buy, remit money at or via those Burmese shops and businesses those do not support democracy.

(5) When paying tax at Burmese embassy, we will ask a receipt (that states that this is tax you are paying to the Union of Myanmar government); it is not breaking the law to ask a receipt of taxation when you are taxed when we are paying Millions of Kyats per year.
For the Burmese working Singapore, we can file it when preparing the tax for Singapore.
It may eventually leads to bold actions and responsible use of tax money we are paying. We do not mind paying tax to Burma if the money we pay will go to improving public infrastructure, to build schools, to educate people but we do not want to see our hard earned money goes to some VIP shopping trips.  It may eventually lead to accountability from government.

(6) Start Learning Law, Good governance, Political Science so that we are not easily threatened by tones of illegitimate authority, so that we can show our disapproval by silence, social sanctionand non-cooperation against the Myanmar regime within legal framework. This will help those headed by Daw Aung San Su Kyi, U Tin Oo, U Win Tin and those who are fighting at the van guard of pro-democratic forces.

(7) We will never call the Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Daw, instead we will call it Kyat Pyay or Pyin Ma Na.

(8) More ....…?

AKS (RIT)

(The author is a Burmese engineer working abroad.)

Note:  Social sanction against the authority and their affiliates, has been done in colonial Burma to great effect in the Wunthanu era in the 1920s.  In the aftermath of the 1920 student boycott, the famous dancer U Pho Sein was socially sanctioned by the people of Burma for ridiculing the student boycotters, who had been at his Mandalay house asking for charity.  As the Burmese people refused to see his shows, his career was put at risk.  He publicly apologized the boycotters later.  In some parts of the country, the markets refused to sell anything to any Burmese working for the British.  Weddings, funerals and other social occasions of the Burmese serving the colonial administration were also boycotted.  The deputy commissioner of Ma-u-bin town, who sent U Ottamma to jail for the first time, was also socially sanctioned.  He could not buy anything from Ma-u-bin market.  When his sister and his daughter died, the whole town refused to attend their funerals.  The British government introduced Anti-boycott Act in February 1922.

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