The road to democracy

Have the demonstrations failed ?

Yes and no.

No :
They have shaken the world awake
to the real nature of the Burmese regime.
The world must be kept awake.
And made to act.

Yes :
The regime is still in power
because the soldiers continue to obey orders.
If, over the past years, anything has been done to encourage revolt
it was not enough.

Let not this lesson be wasted !

Non-violence can go far.
But in some circumstances physical force, at the right moment,
is also necessary.

Our purpose is to overcome unbridled violence.

Our purpose is also to win.
To win human rights and democracy.

To gain human rights and democracy in Burma will be a revolution.

A revolution needs martyrs.
Burma is not short of martyrs.

A revolution also needs leaders who are free
and able to carry forward the revolution.

Non-violent methods are many.
Non-violent demonstrations are only one method.
In a repressive situation, underground methods will be preferred
most of the time.

Faced with a powerful and ruthless opponent,
non-violence must be the main kind of action.

But not necessarily the only kind.

For example :
Where crime goes unpunished, criminals are many.
In Burma today, military officers and other agents of the regime are above the law.
They are lawless.
Regime-sponsored murderers and torturers must be dealt with by revolutionary justice.
Revolutionary justice eliminates the worst criminals, discourages the others, and protects the population.

Non-violent methods are used by the weaker side
to lessen the strength of the stronger side.
Until a tipping-point is reached.
The side which was weaker is now, potentially, the stronger.

The process is mainly psychological.
“A fish starts to rot in its head.”
It may take years.

When the tipping-point is reached,
there are two possibilities.
With many of their former supporters now against them,
the rulers have a choice :
-   negotiate a surrender or run away
or
-   fight.

If the rulers decide to fight, the oppressed must choose to :
-   continue to live in slavery
or
-   fight for their freedom.

Change will come to Burma when many of the combat units of the Tatmadaw accept it.
For it to come, there may be fighting.

This document is a sequel to “Conditions for a successful revolution”. And these are personal opinions of the auhtor only.