By David Tharckabaw

Many members of the younger generation and even some older generation, nowadays, do not know why the Karen in their peaceful demonstrations after Burma’s independence, in February 1948, used “Show Karen One Kyat, Burman One Kyat, Right away” (Kayin da gyat Bama da gyat chet-chin pya) as one of their demands.

The fact was that when Gen. Aung San was leading the struggle for total independence in 1946-47, the Karen leaders, fearful of a recurrence of attack against the Karen population after independence, like the attack led by rogue elements of the Burma Independence Army (BIA) during the early days of Japanese occupation in 1942, approached him to arrange for designation of the Irrawaddy Delta, Tanessarim and Salween Sub-district as Karen State.

In response, Gen Aung San said that as some areas had mixed populations, it was not easy to decide immediately. He assured the Karen leaders that Burma after independence would have a federal structure and the Karen would get one Kyat and the Burman would get one Kyat. Sadly to say, Gen. Aung San and his cabinet members were assassinated in July 1947 and the political power passed into the hands of U Nu, who was a weaker leader than Gen. Aung San. Instead of finding a compromise solution, he catered to chauvinist/ultra-nationalist leaders like Ne Win, who promptly started to use military force to suppress the Karen movement for their legitimate rights.

Of course, by Karen one Kyat, Burman one Kyat, the Karen did not mean absolute equalitarianism. Equality is to be according to need and ability. If there are ten Burmans and five Karens, the Burmans as a group would get ten Kyats and the Karen would get five Kyats. If a Karen tilled ten acres and a Burman tilled five acres, the Karen would enjoy twice the benefits the Burman enjoy.

The chauvinist distorted every thing and started to use hate ideology to set the Burman population against the Karens, and so initially, the conflict took the form of a communal war and there were a lot of atrocities committed by both sides. I hope this would clarify some situation and further national reconciliation.