Inciting revolt

Oct 4th, 2007

Inciting revolt

Two US experts say that the time has come to build an international consensus aimed at giving incentives for the junta to reform and increasing the price it will pay if it fails to change.

The US, they say, with ASEAN, China, India and Japan, should develop a road map for Burma’s junta with “concrete goalposts”. The junta will enjoy development assistance and other benefits if it pursues true political reform and national reconciliation, while it will be made to pay if it continues to be intransigent.

The experts are wasting their time, our time, and people’s lives.

It was tried long ago, offering the generals lots of money if they reform.
The generals didn’t accept it then.
There’s even less reason for them to accept it now.

It is time the free world spent money on overthrowing the regime.
A serious amount of money.
An amount of money proportional to the increasingly serious problem the regime poses for the free world.

Will the free world do this ?
If the case is argued with persistence and insistence by a broad section of the democracy movement,
perhaps … eventually.
One cannot know, because the demand has not been made.

The free world will not send an expeditionary force.
Revolt must come from within.

To get something worthwhile it is necessary to
- know what is wanted;
- know why it is wanted, not just in vague terms but in detail;
- ask for it
- justify the request; and
- show that it is in the donors’ interest.

It is in the interest of all freedom-loving peoples
(which means all peoples, but not all governments)
that the world adopts their cherished values.

Freedom is fragile.
Its enemies are few but powerful.
Their power is proportional to their wealth and weapons.
The fewer and weaker the enemies of freedom,
the safer is freedom, everywhere in the world.

Forget about the generals and think about those of field officer rank.

It takes time.
It takes money.
It will cost lives.

Where there is hope, people will make sacrifices.

They must be given real hope, not false hopes.

To arrive at a destination, it is necessary to set out on the journey.

* The views expressed by authors in the articles are their own, but not necessarily reflect the policy standpoint of BURMA DIGEST editorial team.
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One Response to “Inciting revolt”

  • #1 Tettoe Aung Says:
    October 5th, 2007 at 2:03 am

    It’s true that it takes time, it takes money and there will be loss of lives. It reminded me of images of Buddhist monks in South Vietnam setting themselves alight in protest against the Catholic despotic ruler in the South Ngo Dinh Diem.

    In our case it’s the generals whose pictures in the news and TV were not short of making donations to the monks; renovating this pagoda and that pagoda; in books and magazines the list of how much money they have donated and such and such when it comes as a threat to their hold on power did not hesitate to shoot and kill even if they were monks.

    The people have make their sacrifice; they have set their goal too; hope for freedeom in their hearts have never been in need to question so they are about to reach their destination and they are not alone this time.

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