28.01.2007
Union Solidarity and Development Association,
Burma’s Neo-Nazi Brown Shirts
Union Solidarity and Development Association started during the first 1957 Military Government under General Ne Win. Present State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) on 13 September 1993 organized the (new) Union Solidarity and Development Association, reused that same name, logo, badges and same constitution and Senior General Than Shwe headed the organization as the main mover of grassroots.
USDA
flag
The motto of the organisation is "Morale, Discipline, Solidarity, Unity" but the whole organizationationation is morally bankcrupt, there is no discipline and they are only superficially united for their own selfish aims and objectives.
Many thugs, exconvicts and jobless persons join the USDA. Pimps and Night club owners join to get protection and using USDA as cover. With USDA cards easy to buy train and movy tickets. If anyone is carrying USDA IDs no need to carry or show the National Registration cards. USDA members could get the business licence and land permits or grants easily.
Myanmar Military Junta is nowadays using the USDA or Kyant Phut to exert Power, terrorizing the whole country, bullying each and every people of Myanmar including the NLD headed opposition. The USDA became notorious during the Depayin massacre on May 30, 2003..
And Myanmar Military Junta is nowadays obtain the secondary power by delegating some of their power to USDA or Union Solidarity and Development Association to exert the PUPPET POWER on its citizens and opposition. The puppet master is the same military propaganda wicked wizard Senior General Than Shwe. It is awkward to notice that the Great Puppet Master himself is under the spell of the black magic powers of astrologers and an intimate Witch Daw Kyaing Kyaing. And it is a mockery that she is also influenced and controlled by her greediness and the extended family members: daughters and illegitimate son-in-law.
Who are they? Apart from their basic power force, the Myanmar Military, the other armed wing is their lapdog Myanmar Police Force. Actually, USDA is the third or the grass-root-level-power- base; they are aiming to get 100% control of all the citizens of Burma by hook or by crook.
Kyant Phut members (USDA) were involved in protest shouting, holding posters against DASSK during her trips of organization around the country.
We all have to accept that even without those supplementary power bases, Myanmar Military is very powerful. When added with the supplementary power of USDA, SPDC Generals could definitely wield enormous power on each and every Myanmar citizens.
But ‘the amount of power ones have’ is not important. Only the ways they use that power can determine the character and virtues. It may be childish but I wish to quote the popular catch phrase of Spiderman;” Power comes with responsibility.” Powerful person could easily became bully as villain if not controlled the use of the power with wisdom or noble objectives.Intelligence, wisdom good virtues and good characters would definitely mould that powerful person to become a hero.
Therefore, the way we use the power we have, is more important than the amount of power we have.
Power is _
- the ability to do something or
- to influence other people do things for the power holder.
- Usually the power is visibly legitimate,
- Sometimes coercion of force or made to be legitimate
- via the display of the signs and symbols of power.
- It is "the ability to influence the behaviour of others" with or without resistance.
- So power is the ability to impose one's will on others, even if those others resist in some way.
- "By power is meant every opportunity/possibility existing within a social relationship, which permits one to carry out one's own will, even against resistance, and regardless of the basis on which this opportunity rests." (Max Weber, Basic Concepts in Sociology)
Political power is a type of power held by a person or group or a government machinery in a society.
The power during our Fascist Revolution had a liberating force and had transformed our country’s political landscape.
But
the power of SPDC Generals and Kyant Phuts has
been oppressive and successfully
shackled and squeezed the whole population, all the oppositions, NLD and Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi with the iron grip.
Legitimate
power
can be explained as the
power
of democratically elected government. Usually this government’s
power
is exercised through Virtue.
However, the illegitimate governments like SPDC autocratic governments’ power came from the instilling and institutionalisation of fear by using thugs like USDA. SPDC abused its power through terror by using Kyant Phuts’ strong arm tactics.Abuse of power or bullying is the destructive or senseless use of political power improperly or unfairly or unjustly or lawlessly.
We see the abuse of power when too much power has been concentrated into a few individuals like SPDC Generals, without a proper check and balance system. There has been no room for political debate, public criticism, and other types of correctives.
Now SPDC is planning to stage another coup to legalized their loot of power by using the Nyaung Nha Pin Lane (Lane=lies) convention although it was already dismissed by the people and the whole world as a sham.
SPDC Junta exerts power by numerous ways to constraint on all the Myanmar citizen’s action and it possesses its power by a complex strategic situation in Myanmar citizens’ daily social, political, business , religious lifes by imposing both constraint and enablement.
The imposition needs coercion of force or threat of force or punishments including long term imprisonment and tortures. SPDC Generals have both physical power, social power, political power, administrarive power, judicial power, power like a CEO of the country, legalistative power etc. Its "influence" is most of the time supported by spin doctors and all the strictly controlled media.
So SPDC and USDA’s "power" is its unilateral ability, real and perceived, potential to bring about significant change, usually in Myanmar citizen’s lives.
SPDC Junta’s power is negatively based on practising state terrorism on its own citizens. See how they effectively use the terror of USDA or Union Solidarity and Development Association on NLD Daw Suu and especially during Depayin Massacre. Now they are threatening the people and opposition with this USDA or Union Solidarity and Development Association again.
The SPDC leaders use to summon the resources to its own political, economic, and cultural agenda by building a network of peoples who can support them rise to higher levels of power.
We can see how the ideological state apparatuses are used - the political, economic, military, social machinery - to further gain the legitimation to have power over others eg “Naung Ngha Pin Lane Nyi lar Gan”.
"...Based on interviews with twenty members of the USDA, the report exposes the dark secrets of the organization, from recruitment through intimidation and/or inducements, to its program of infiltrating and seeking dominance over the educational system and economy of Burma. The USDA has sought to infiltrate or eliminate civil society organizations in the country, reconstituting civil society according to the needs of the regime. The USDA has tried to co-opt the humanitarian work of international agencies, to strengthen its patronage as a benevolent organization. The USDA, notorious for numerous acts of political violence, has trained villagers to form people's militias and encouraged a culture of lawlessness and thuggish behavior, particularly among the youth members. This has led to the incitement of religious conflict and several violent attacks on members of the pro-democracy movement, including the notorious the Depayin Massacre, a brutal attack on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her convoy, injuring hundreds and killing many. Today marks the third anniversary of the Depayin Massacre. More ominously, this report warns of the ascendancy of the USDA as a political organization. Already, USDA members are in the majority at the National Convention. It is believed that the regime plans to use USDA to extend and perpetuate military rule under a pseudo-democracy. The USDA’s top levels are peopled by senior leaders of the SPDC, making the USDA and the SPDC essentially the same..." http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/show.php?cat=436
USDA trained its members to use weapons and defense or attacking tactics or Martial arts and even the basic military training. They are also trained for intelligence gathering and information gathering techniques. Pretending to look after the security they survey and monitor the oppositions’ activity and sometimes arrested the opposition members using unwarranted force and with the trumpeted charges. The USDA members terrorized the ordinary people and used to incite the religious conflicts and riots. In 2005 USDA began to implement a strategy of harassing the NLD through targetting its Muslim members. http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/USDAFinal1.pdf They distributed the pamphlets and literature, as if originating from the NLD members, calling for the resignation of Muslim NLD members. Vandalizing and destruction of the properties if resisted. try to start a commotion or a riot and blame the NLD. Hindi and Christians are also disturbed to start the unrests.
On 17 March 2006 Thet Naing Oo was murdered by USDA. In August 2005, NLD member Thant Zin Myo was also beaten by USDA members. In sanchaung township NLD member Kyaw Soe was attacked.
Rashid Dahrul , 22 year Muslim University student from Arakan was attacked and killed by USDA to strart a religious riots. http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/USDAFinal1.pdf
USDA members are also used to distribute false news and reumours as part of Propaganda Warfare or Psychological Warfare. USDA members are used as spies not only on the opposition and the ordinary people but as counter spies to monitor the police, military ex-Military Intelligent personals.
USDA members watches the students, teachers, lecturers, monks and workers. Harassment and intimidating are USDA’s regular job. They search the opposition members on the road, raided their houses at midnight to check for visitors or overnight guests.
USDA members would not hesitate or think twice to exploit anything from the people. They borrow the cars, motorbikes, bicycles up to bullock-carts. They try to disturb the opposition in any of its activities.
Now SPDC, Tatmadaw, police and USDA or Union Solidarity and Development Association thought that through their enormous power, people could be suppressed. Burmese/Myanmar people have been suppressed into near total submission.
However, it has been causing a resentment and hatred causing a pent up pressure inside. Now this POTENTIAL PRESSURE is rising. One day it would definitely explode into a PEOPLE’S POWER REVOLUTION.
Dr San Oo Aung
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