21.01.2007
India should be an Inspiration
_ By Dr. Tayza
[This article has been first published in Natun Somoy Journal of India and now re-published in BURMA DIGEST with Natun Somoy Journal editor's kind approval.]
India is the largest democracy in Asia as well as in the world. With her a billion or more people, India has the largest population governed by a truly democratic system in the world. In the continent of Asia where many countries are still under more or less authoritarian administrations, India is proudly enjoying the longest surviving and most stable democracy which is envied by most other countries in the region.
And India has always been an inspiration for Burma. During the struggle for Independence from colonialism in early twentieth century, India’s Mahatma Gandhi gave Burmese people inspiration for freedom and equal rights. India’s leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru provided material and moral help to Burma’s leader Aung San. After the Independence and after Aung San’s assassination, India accepted Aung San’s wife Daw Khin Kyi as Burma’s Ambassador to India.
During Burma’s civil war in 1950s, India gave overwhelming support to U Nu, the one and only democratically elected Prime Minister in Burma’s history. When U Nu was toppled from power by a military coup, India gave refuge to U Nu and his followers.
In line with India’s long tradition of being democracy and freedom inspiration for Burma
, during massive people power movements for democracy in Burma the then PM of India Mr Rajeev Gandhi showed genuine support for Burma’s democratic struggle. And many a Burmese pro-democracy activists who fled Burma to escape military regime’s crush down on them were usually welcome warmly by Indian government.
But recently things have started to change; and changed in a very wrong direction.
Recently Indian military generals and some Indian Businessmen are trying to change India’s democracy-friendly foreign policies.
Indian generals want military dominance in Indian Ocean. They are worried about the prospect of Chinese Navy getting outlet to Indian Ocean through Burma. And they also need Burmese military’s help to crush ethnic minority groups in Asom and other states bordering Burma. So friendship with Burmese military regime suddenly becomes too important for India military.
On the other hand, Indian business men want a share in Burma’s offshore gas fields. They also want lucrative trade privileges from Burma’s all powerful military generals.
So to build friendship with Burmese generals, India military is nowadays giving Burma arms and ammunition, which Burmese generals use in carrying out ethnic cleansing attacks on ethnic minorities along Burma’s eastern and western borders. Burmese army’s ethnic cleansing on its western border benefits Indian generals because some ethnic minority separatist groups on India-Burma border are fighting against both Burmese and Indian governments.
India also sells planes for Burmese air force and equipments for Burmese Navy. In return, Indian ships are allowed to visit and make military practice and battle drills in Indian Ocean on Burmese territorial waters. And it leads to increased rivalry between Indian & Chinese Navies. Burmese military regime is playing off India and China against each other. India-China rivalry in Indian Ocean is just benefiting Burmese military regime.
Energy hungry India & China are also locked in a bidding war to get largest shares in Burmese off shore gas field. High ranking leaders from both India and China are paying frequent visits to Burma and making promises for economic and developmental aids to curry favour with Burmese generals. Very recently Indian President and Burma’s military supremo Gen. Than Shwe exchanged visits to each other’s countries to strengthen bilateral diplomatic ties.
If things go on in this way, India will soon end up as one of the two main supporters of the notorious military regime in Burma_ the other supporter being China. India will lose face among democratic countries in the international community. China doesn’t mind losing face with democratic world, as communist government of China themselves are dictators. But in India’s case, collaborating too much with Burma’s military generals, who are ranked as world top number one human-rights abusers in international human-rights indexes, will harm India’s good relationship with other democracies around the world like USA, Canada, UK, etc.
India needs to review her current policies towards Burma before it becomes too late.
India should try to be a genuine friend for democracy-loving people around the world, rather than a crony of despotic tyrannical regimes in the region. India should be the beacon which shines the light of democracy and gives democratic inspiration to all democracy loving people in South & East Asia regions.
We can now just hope that Congress Party’s leader Sonia, as a Gandhi, will not let us all democracy loving people in the region down.
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Comments:
Londonburma said _
Have you ever known a country that foreign policy does not base on interest?
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