20.05.2007
U Nu’s Mistake of Mixing Politics with Religion
_ By Dr. Hla Khine
While our venerable Prime Minister U Nu was trying to hold onto the Government at the time when U Kyaw Nyein/U Ba Swe were also in contention, U Nu tried to woo the Sanghas in order to harvest their votes. The Sanghas at the time requested that a small mosque built by the Turkish prisoners of War of Mesopotamia (First World War) whose labour was being used to build the Rangoon prison, be demolished.
By his order the mosque which was built at the corner of the prison wall was brought down. A group of senior Muslim university students asked for an audience with the prime minister during which encounter they asked him a few questions. As I vividly remember, the dialogue ran something like this: _
'We 'hated' the Colonial English because they came to suck our blood and robbed our country of Petroleum (Burmah Oil Company, BOC), teak wood, Silver from the Bawdwin mines, tin, zinc and wolfram, not to mention the precious stones like jade and rubies'.
'But when the colonialists wrote to Queen Victoria informing her of a Pagoda (Sule Pagoda) which was erected in the middle of the street and asked her permission to demolish it, the answer was a simple ....'No’.
"We have always admired your honourable Excellency for sacrificing the university education and risking imprisonment went on boycott-strike with other students and strove to rebel and drive the colonialists from our country.'
"If the Monarch of the British colonialists restrained them from demolishing the Pagoda which was in the middle of the main thoroughfare, why did your Excellency bring down a religious building which is not in the middle of any road, not causing any obstruction and which was being used daily five times a day?'
As U Nu turned to look at U Rashid, the minister in his cabinet, U Rashid told him that he agreed with what the university students have stated.
Except a few of my senior colleagues a few of whom are still alive, very few people know of this encounter and the dialogue that ensued.
But, because U Nu chose to tamper with religions and religious buildings, his honour and his popularity waned perceptibly after such incidents.
He was elected democratically; he had successfully drawn a Constitution and had successfully stocked the Treasury of the country. But by and by after such incidents, his grip and his power waned although he went abroad to muster support from other leaders of the world. His political career went dimmer until it was snuffed out with his death.
In this twilight of my years, i have come to realize one thing. It is not beneficial to fool around with religion. Let it be..... At least in our country's history, it is not at all auspicious to humiliate religions...
Please forgive me if what I’ve told you here brings up your ire.
I have given this information 'only' to you as you all are young, proactive, enthusiastic, and patriotic, and are the future leaders of our race.
Comments:
Kyaw Zwa said _
It is a good example for all. When you got the power don't mix it up between political and religion. We all love freedom, freedom of worship as well. Don't think majority of people would vote you because of you oppress minorities. It's not advantage just disgusting. You might gain for a moment. After all you would face a huge lost. You have to surrender to your enemy like U Nu.
Your Comments here_
Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
Last issue's
English articles
