27.05.2007
Still Relevant, We All
_ By Min Khin Kyaw
I believe people didn’t vote NLD as NLD for NLD but they voted for their freedom and put their faith in the hand of the party led by Daw Suu. The NLD has provided their good service to the people since they were elected. Yet the NLD has to deliver the people the reality of the post-dictatorial era.
NLD knows it cannot do anything without the support of the people. But, without a good leadership, our people cannot support anything either. We need both good supporters and good leaders to be able to bring the regime down and overcome this bad era. And we now have both; that is why our revolution has been thriving alive, or it would have been already dead despite people suffering everyday and things still getting worse.
Thus, the question – if NLD is or its election victory in 1990 is still relevant – is irrelevant. What should be asked now are: how should we improve our struggle, with what we should be equipped, what are the conditions and achievements we should attain to reach our goal solidly.
I don’t think NLD think it alone can do everything. Actually, revolution is to be done by the entire people of Burma. Both to topple the junta and rebuilding the country afterwards, we need participation of all of us the people of Burma. Now people have to bear the pressures of the bad time and this will go on for a while. The junta has been building up its arsenal spending hundreds of millions of dollars whilst people getting poorer and poorer and suffering more and more. But let the junta spend its money anyway. Let its soldiers hold those big guns (even a nuclear reactor) and listen to those big mouths (the generals and their mouth piece newspapers) whilst getting their stomachs shrinking down.
Sooner or later, the bureaucrats of the regime themselves will have to come out of their thin shell of snail and fight with dignity along with the people, and it will be another episode of 1988.
And, although they have locked Daw Suu up but they can’t control her powerful spirit. Even if she was dead, her influence would live on. It’s bad they keep her under house arrest but it’s not that bad as we still have her as our national leader in our hearts and we still have her determination as the emblem or flag of our struggle for democracy. We not only have our flag but also the mast and the carriers – i.e., other leaders and activists. With unity, harmony and sufficient efforts, we will make it.
But, on the other hand, we don’t have much support internationally for our struggle. We have very few international friends and friendly countries standing with us in fighting for democracy. And we also have some countries giving just mouth service – it seems better than nothing; but they need to become genuine friends of our Burmese people by sharing our suffering and sharing some responsibility to help Burma achieve freedom and democracy. Yet we have to make them understand us and stand with us.
Firstly, we have to help them know us well. Then, we have to make them become friends of our people. And then, after they have become active supporters of our democracy movement, we have to give rooms for them to stand with us as much as we possible.. Simply, we have to contact them, invite them, welcome them, cooperate with them, give them room to manoeuvre and show them real friendship; however, we must not expect their help beyond their_ we have to know their limits. And we have to distinguish between real friends and foes.
As we don’t have many friends – we need unity, harmony and solidarity among us. We have to encourage our friends, our people and fellow activists not to get frustrated during our long march to democracy. We have to make the world see us as a good people worthy of involvement and intervention. We have to show them our capacity of leadership, activism and coherence.
Min Khin Kyaw
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