27.05.2007
Reasoning for a Just Cause
_ By May Ng
I received this email from my dear friend who is working in Rangoon as a foreign worker.
We never discuss politics to make his life simple in Burma, and he usually was not able to read my articles. He sent me this recently while outside of the country briefly.
Hi May,
Nice article (about China). I've long said that China held more power over Burma than the junta; spending as much time as we have in the country has pretty much confirmed this belief.
The one other thing that I believe more strongly now than ever before however is that without internal revolt Burma will simply become the pawn of the next bully even if China and the junta are removed. Unfortunately it's an extremely mean old world out there and if the people of Burma won't standup for themselves no amount of outside intervention will bring about lasting change.
As the eternal optimist that I tend to be, I keep looking for the next Aung San Suu Kyi. The young people of Burma no longer hold any faith in the NLD (I know this from many first hand conversations) and are starting to look for other leaders. In Yangon, small groups test the boundaries of civil disobedience on a fairly regular basis and even if their efforts are humble they don't go unnoticed. Even the sons of generals and the nations powerful can read the writing on the wall; the country is a shambles, without change there will be little left even for them.
I don't know who will lead the revolt that might succeed in toppling the military regime or how many years it might be before it comes about but I can guarantee you that it's on the minds of many of Burma's young people, actually perhaps all of them. A glimmer of hope, a charismatic leader, and a little more oppression that pushes people to the tipping point – any of these things could be the catalyst.
Change will come; when is the question.
From, TMS
Well, he works in Rangoon and he must have heard what we could not from outside of Burma. So, there is his opinion. He is not politically or financially involved in Burma and his assessment of the situation is without influence or motivation.
Framing the reality on the ground, as described in the email, with latest developments, might bring a clearer picture of where Burma might be heading to, if it is at all possible.
Professor Richard Broinowski, an expert in nuclear proliferation, said during a television interview that, “a secretive, corrupt and very anti-democratic junta in Burma bringing nuclear technology into the South-East Asian region is going to encourage other countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and certainly Indonesia and the Philippines to want to improve and increase their own nuclear technology.”
He also said that one of the conceivable reasons for Burma to be arming itself with nuclear weapon is as “deterrence against their neighbour Thailand and possibly the Chinese if they fall out with them.”
As more Chinese moved into Burma in the last decade the credibility of Myanmar military government slid lower in Burma. So, the generals fired Khin Nyunt, their China and pro-engagement man. Even so, Myanmar army could not seem to get out of China’s spell, as they are rescued once more by China at the UNSC in January. The generals are finally going nuke with Russian’s help as a last resort to resist China’s temptation. They trust no one and conform to no norm, they painted themselves in the corner, and no one knows how they would come out of this hundreds of millions worth of nuclear madness.
While they definitely wanted NLD and Suu Kyi out of the picture, they also needed to find a way out of credibility deficit. But without a viable political opposition whom people trust, the army’s National Convention will lack legitimacy so they decided to release the student political leaders. They felt safer with the student leaders, because the students were not elected representatives like the NLD and the potential to be asked to handover power did not exist.
At the same time they continued their assaults with sophisticated and extensive public relation campaigns to discredit NLD and ASSK. They not only physically assaulted and destroyed the lives of the NLD, they were determined that the NLD would never rise again.
They feed on the nature of politics, where most parties and people rival each other. There is no real reason why NLD has to disappear so that the student leaders will rise. In fact the students depend on the legitimacy of the NLD and ASSK for their political cause. No credible student leader has disavowed his/her loyalty to democracy cause and the political leadership of the elders. This is not to say that they are not entitled to or capable of legitimate criticisms and independent acts that identify with their own group philosophy or goal.
Another tactic was to create a split along the line of pro-engagement versus pro-sanction factions among political oppositions, inside and outside of Burma.
But China had already engaged the Burmese military on 6 August 1988. On anyone’s watch it was a little too late for arguing whether the west should engage with the Burmese junta to prevent it from falling deeper into Chinese arms; or even to encourage Burma to remain the same and share their loot, like the ASEAN.
It certainly created a chill in the air when Dr. Steinberg, with J. William Ichord who represented Unocal Corp., argued against the US sanctions on Burma, while a whole Task Force of non-partisan panel recommended taking actions against the military for attacking Daw Suu Kyi’s entourage, in 2003.
J.R.R. Tolkien has asked, “When does the wise reason for madness?” The reasons given for engaging with the brutal military in Burma are as perturbing as the reasons once used for continuation of slavery in western history that slaves were better off under a stable, thriving economy of slavery system under experienced slave owners than becoming free colored people with uncertain future.
No, it is not too soon! For all the Burmese to be ‘united’ for a just cause of Democracy for Burma.
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 .
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