The People of Burma Deserves Human and Democratic Rights
By Research and Experience
By Sao Noan Oo

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After living for four decades under the Military Dictatorial Regime, in an environment of darkness, fear and terror the People of Burma deserves Human and Democratic Rights.
To move forward there has to be National Reconciliation of all nationalities coming together at a round table. The talk has to be built on truth, trust and transparency. In a country like Burma there has to be an understanding of the principle of territorial integrity and fundamental respect for diversity, and different peoples’ wishes for freedom, equality and justice. As is seen in the Shan State between1886-1948, various diverse groups had lived peacefully side by side and in harmony without force being used; diversity therefore does not necessarily lead to chaos and disorder, if citizens including government members live and abide by the country’s moral code and a law that is fair and just.
During the recent ASEAN summit one of the Leaders said, “We must try to find out why the Generals are so afraid of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”, Let’s hope he really meant it and make an effort to dig deep and find the real reason.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi poses the greatest threat to the Generals. They are afraid of her because she believes in democracy, equality and freedom for all citizens. She has compassion and works by the principles of transparency, sincerity and truth. The fear of losing the power they have wielded has driven the Generals to react irrationally and to the point of madness. They stand for dictatorship; complete control of power at any cost without consideration or compassion for the citizens. They live by the concept of secrecy, insincerity and hidden truth.
The high regards in which Bogyoke Aung San has been held by the Burmese public since independence had proved a problem for the Military Regime under Ne Win. Ne Win attempted to diminish Bogyoke Aungsan’s stature at first but later he decided that that it would be more beneficial to put Aungsan as a spiritual Leader of the army so as to make the coup justifiable and also by using Aung San’s image the army could claim its legitimacy. They thought, “Was Aungsan not the founding
Father of the Tamadaw? At the beginning of the military regime a lot of Burmans believed Bogyoke Aungsan held the same ideology as the rest of the Military Generals and so did the ethnic nationalities who in addition thought that Bogyoke Aung San and the whole Burman Nationalities had betrayed them.
When Bo Gyoke Aung San’s daughter, Daw Aungsan Suu Kyi arrived in Burma she was shocked to discover the military’s actions of injustice, subjugation of the people, the shooting of thousands of students and the heinous human rights violations practised against the ethnic nationalities. She joined the NLD, a political party opposition to the Military Regime. She exposed that the method used by the military in ruling the country was not what her father had wanted. The Generals had in fact manipulated the people of Burma into believing that her father had the same ideology as them. By this exposure she damaged the Military regime’s legitimacy. Like father like daughter, they both wanted freedom, equal rights and democracy for all. This is one if not the main reason why the military Generals especially Than Shwe hate and are afraid of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi so much. Blaming her for their failures, since 1989 the regime is bent on destroying Aung San Suu Kyi’s image.
In drafting the Constitution Than Shwe and his Generals have excluded Daw Aung San and other Opposition Leaders, showing that they have no intention of following the principles of democracy. On 23 May 1947, less than three months before his death, Bogyoke Aung San gave a speech which made his thoughts on democracy very clear. He distinguished ‘true’ from ‘sham’ democracy. He said, “Only true democracy can work for the real good of the people, real equality of status and opportunity for every one irrespective of class or race or religion or sex. Not every democracy is true democracy. Some are imperfect democracies concealing in democratic guise the dictatorship of the capitalist class. True democracy alone must be our basis if we want to draw up our constitution with the people as the real sovereign and the people’s interest as the primary consideration. Democracy alone is the basis upon which the real progress of a nation can be built”.
Also to have a genuine Democracy in Burma dictatorship has to be abolished for good as it has no place in the modern and civilized world. Although Democracy is not perfect it is the best form of government. It is the government of the people. Political Leaders are not from a single social class, a single ethnic group, a single religious group nor a group of narrow ruling families. Leaders are chosen by the people and responsible to the people. All citizens have the right to vote.
Than Shwe and like minded Generals have made the peoples of Burma their enemies and are so afraid of reprisal that they use lethal weapons to crush and silence them. Fear has made them corrupt and irrational. No matter how hard they try to crush the population into complete submission there will always be some who will dare to voice their feelings for the sake of the country and welfare of the citizens as seen in the recent peaceful demonstration led by the monks and students. While bad things do happen to good people, but as long as the peoples of Burma do not let the fear implanted by the junta to take root, and damage their spirit there is hopes for Burma and its citizens to get what they are fighting for, human and democratic rights. In the face of injustice, conflict, human rights violations, mass murder and struggle for survival courage, tenacity, dignity and magnanimity of such people deserves applauding.