_ By Victor S Khambil

As we are nearing to the 19^th oppressed year of Military Regime takeover of the nation ruling power in Burma, we have to look back to the past and count erratic systems which stained the effort for democratic change while we all endeavored for Burma. The wave after wave of critics and sanctions from all opposition sides still not work out to topple military regime in Burma. We can not let nature take its course for the change but need to re-adjust one way or another. The military regime has been insanely strengthening internal power to hang on in their brutal grip of authority while we are out of constructive tactics to outmaneuver them in Burmese politics. We must re-examine our past approach whether we mistimed the regime within our trap or they trapped us within their walking boots. 

If an ill person keep on taking the same medicines to heal his illness but not cure, the medicines he takes even become a worse bacteria for his sickness as virus inside him know how to react against the medicine regularly visiting him. The unprofessional and irrelevant bunch of criticism which we all throw against the regime only empowers them to reorganize themselves from splitting themselves out. The same critics, the same economic sanction and the same tactics must be reviewed.  

One of our closest bordering country- Thailand orchestrated militarily to take nation’s power on the day while military regime in Myanmar are celebrating their 18^th year of vicious power in September 19, 2006 last year. Apart from closing only one tolerant eye on Burmese refugees by India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia, most ASEAN and southern Asian nations come out with no tangible effort & support to help Burma out of political mire. China and India instead play vulture role to eat the rotten Burmese natural resources from under the boots of military rulers. Now the hungrier Russia is patting General Than Shwe’s back as if a just recently reunited old friends. There will be an exchange of Russian rotten egg and Burmese golden duck. Used military equipments and second or third-handed arms, weapons and vessels from Russia would be dumped in loads in Myanmar. As long as the three big vultures are firmly towering over military regime in Burma ( Myanmar ) to fend off international condemnations, small countries in ASEAN only can fume with verbal attacks which can not even stir the toes of the three vultures. 

The off-again on-again National Convention where the military regime perform the mockery democratic dance while the crashed Burmese civilians plunged deeper into poverty and have no enough power to open their mouth or are gagged their mouth by the heel of the regime. The survival dearth caused by men-made disaster in Burma could invade the morality of innocent civilians and destroy civilian honesty. The hellish suffering under lawless rulers for several years could breed unwanted behaviors which will badly hinder ways to create justice in future Burma. Bad behaviors and delinquent morals among civilians will only call back uneducated military rulers again in the future. That could be a trap set up by the regime for future Burmese politics. 

No country in the world can handily transfer oneself from one policy to another overnight but in order to preserve rights of freedom and justice, they need honesty of their nationals. Burmese military rulers have been instilling fear among innocent civilians and successfully banished the basic rights and civilian liberty since 1960s from the soil of Burma. That probably prompted Aung San Suu Kyi to write a book on “ Freedom From Fear” as she knew that the fear of dictatorial rulers in Burma was the big loss for Burmese citizens in getting their rights and basic human freedom. The outburst of 1988 nationwide uprising against military government in Burma which gained the first historical free and fair general election in 1990 was one of the biggest outcomes so far we have in democratic movement. 

The fear of the regime in the past had been dominion over Burmese civilians but now the greater fear of reprisal is dominion over military rulers in Burma which forced the regime to ignorantly holding on their illegitimate power. They know they are illegal government. They know they are not supported by civilians. They know they are disliked by others and they also clearly know that they have to grip on the nation’s power-gear lest they will lose everything which they amassed illegally and probably even their breath. As if the fear of faceless terrorist war is threatening Big Nations, the fear of revenge is insanely incising the regime to the root.

Should we let the National Convention vehicle move and we all stand up and wait in each train station to board on it? Shall we totally ignore the NC and fight our own way out and throw criticisms on it as usual? We are not facing political war with outsiders but our own home grown army supposed to be defending us from enemies but which instead offended us and ruled us. The onus lies on us not out there on. For the sake of Burmese democracy, communist China will not rise against the west economically or politically and vice versa. Now is a time for all Burmese people to turn straight to our nation and people instead of depending upon foreign friends.