On November 17 2010 the leader of Burma Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, was released since she was sentenced house arrest by military junta of Burma on 19--. It became the biggest global issue in 2011, receiving many world leaders’ celebrations. Now Burma society is entering a new phase with the beginning of 2011.
As president Obama stated at his recent speech, her release is a “long overdue”. It is not only a grateful thing to celebrate but also a positive sign that the Burmese government started listening to voice of international society. However, we should not take this as it seems without question.
Firstly, I cannot help doubting the genuine purpose of her release. The ruling party which supported by junta had gained 75 percent of seats in the parliament as a result of this last election on November 7. This illustrates that the junta has secured their position as a ruling authorities. So it could be a way to pass the accusation of international societies simply by releasing her.
Secondly, as the military government won in the last election, the effect from junta is unlikely to be shattered for a while. That means they are not going to easily compromise with the voice for democracy. Ironically, Aung San Suu Kyi was released not long after the election. Therefore, we must consider the possibility of second thought of her release, even if they don’t intend the assassination by the government themselves. Whatever the reason it is, her security is the first thing to be guaranteed as the tragedy in the past should not be repeated.
In regards to this, what kind of mindset do we need to have as a citizen in international society? I urge that we keep questioning their purpose and every single action as a global scout. This is not only for the actions of Burmese government but the one of other related countries.
The western societies have been continuously putting pressure on Burmese government; economically pushing them economically. It could be a good deed from moral motivation, but the one thing they are ignoring is this oppression has directly affected the life of Burmese people, not military authorities. The political dispute and each political position is also a significant problem to be considered, but every single day a number of people we cannot even imagine are losing their lives. Now Burma has more than 200 of ethnic groups, and millions of refugees have fled other countries to the oppression under the socialist and military governments since 1962, in the name of so-called “ethnic cleaning policy”.
It is too early to be pleased and say the movement towards democracy has initiated unless the life condition of the people in Burma seemingly started to change. Still, there are over 2200 political prisoners in Burma and the regime’s attack against ethnic civilians has been continuing, resulted in serious human rights and humanitarian crisis. We should not forget that fighting for democracy is eventually for the citizens in Burma, not for political interest.
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