Politics for People
Mar 27th, 2008
Politics for People
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_ By Thuria Tayza
It’s time now to start serious discussions on “Politics for People”.
There are at least three reasons for doing so.
People’s sufferings on the ground; near starvation, child malnutrition, high maternal & child mortality rates, short general life expectancy, hyper prevalence of infectious diseases, lack of good healthcare, lack of clean water supply, lack of electricity, lack of credible education, lack of employment, lack of reliable income, lack of internet access, lack of media freedom, lack of labour rights, child soldiers, human trafficking, forced prostitution, drug trade, environmental destructions……… these are all real , not just political propaganda.
When junta approved their constitution by hook or by crook or by spooks; to carry on the fight to next stage, pro-democracy political activists inside the country will need to take part in 2010 elections; then they will need a credible party political platform which is relevant to time and circumstances of the day. “Politics for People” will be a very noble and respectable political platform.
When the military install a puppet civilian government after 2010; to go on fighting against that puppet civilian government, we’ll need a good political weapon. “Politics for People” will be an effective weapon because under the new puppet civilian government people of Burma will go on suffering all the same.
So we need to start brain-storming on how to help the real people under real-life sufferings in Burma: _
- how can political activists help the real people _ e.g., like Ko Htin Kyaw and group who voiced people’s concerns for the worsening poverty; like the efforts by Phyu Phyu Thin and group to provide assistance to HIV patients highlighting the lack of adequate and humane care for patients with infectious diseases in Burma
- how political leaders can help the real people _ e.g., like the 88 generation student leaders who came out onto streets to protest hyper inflations after 5 fold fuel price hikes, which eventually snowballed into massive Saffron Revolution last year
- how activists on border areas can help the real people _ e.g., like Dr Cynthia Maung who has been for so many years providing health care to all refugees and migrants there; like AEIOU program giving tertiary education to refugee youths there
- how ethic forces can help their own people _ like Free Burma Rangers providing healthcare and other essential assistance to IDPs; like Shan Women Action Network releiving sufferings of ethnic refugee women
- how journalists inside and outside the country can help the real people _ e.g., like many a faceless civilian journalists and bloggers during Saffron revolution who risked their lives and tried to record the sufferings of people and spread the word to the outside world.
- how exile politicians can help the real people _ e.g., by talking more about people’s real suffering on the ground in Burma, but spending less time on writing money-making project proposals for themselves
- how international community can help the real people of Burma _ e.g., by persuading or pressuring military junta to cooperate better with United Nations for direct poverty relief efforts for real people on the ground
- how ASEAN countries can help the real people of Burma _ e.g, by persuading Burmese authorities to gradually relax their super tight control and very harsh censorship on media, press, public meetings, entertainment and stage performences, internet and telecommunications, etc.; in essence, to allow freedom at least up to ASEAN standard, if not to perfect western standards.
- how future new puppet civilian government can help the real people _ e.g., by being less corrupt but more transparent and accountable, and by paying more heed to public opinions
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3 Responses to “Politics for People”
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March 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
This is the first time I have seen Burma Digest endorses an idea beyond its regular regime-bashing rhetoric. I am glad to see the evolution of rational thinking among the dissidents. It seems the dissidents have recognized the limitation of the UNSC and international pressure. The center of gravity is the change inside the country. You need to think the political calculus based on the available political resources inside the country, not the empty rhetoric of the west. At the end of the day, majority of dissidents will go back to Burma under the general amnesty.At the same time, transition is a bumpy road, and more unpredictable events are awaiting ahead.
March 27th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
We also need to understand the world politic. The entire world is controlled by OIL and GAS. In 2030, the world oil production will be dropped to 50% as the existing reservoirs are drying every day. The alternate fuel would not be sufficient enough to replace on time. As a result of that the mini-third world war will be coming by hook or by crook in 2030. We got to understand seriously. We must have a big daddy to protect us. If not, one of the super power countries will take over us for OIL and GAS.
“Our dream will come true if we have crude oil reserve like Iraq.”
Alan Green Span, the genius Federal Reserve Chairman recently wrote a book “The Age of turbulence” after he retired from the post and commented” The Iraq war is about OIL” not about weapons of mass destruction. You all will still remember about the Kuwait war. I think it was about OIL too. USA will never involve militarily in our country.” It is sad but true. So who would be our mentor and saver to feed our poor Burmese? I don’t know
April 5th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I believe that the article “Politics for People” is a satire lampooning at the Burmese democratic and ethnic groups, which have been enriching themselves with project money intended for building up people’s capacity to participate effectively in the struggle for overthrowing the SPDC military dictatorship.
On the other hand, funds handed out by our supporting countries for democratization of Burma are peanuts, by any standard. It is not enough even to effectively treat the symptons, let alone the dicease. Perhaps, we, the freedom fighters failed to explain the nature of the Burmese military dictatorship to our neighbors and sympathizers.
At one point in the past, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, labelled the military dictatorship as fascist. it was a correct identification of the nature of the SPDC. As a matter of fact, leaders of military regimes since Gen. Ne Win are all feudal fascists. Their ideology is a combination of extreme racism and militarism. All their policies towad us are based on hate and loathing. No wonder, gentle pressure as the international community has been imposing on the regime fails to push it toward meaningful dialogue.
One danger that has been creeping up on us is the ideology of gradual change, through unprincipled peace and development. This line has been pushed strongly by some former fascist countries and their hired hands, in the guise of academics and, sometimes, religious leaders. Through NGOs, governments of these countries provide huge funds to buy up some of us.
First, the hired hands pushed for appeasement policy toward the dictatorship. It was to anaesthetize us into accepting the dictatorship as a partner in the solution of the problem, instead seeing it as the root cause of the problem. Now, these hired hands are pushing for collaboration with the SPDC dictatorship, in spite of all the evidence that it is all bent on denying us freedom and enslaving us indefinitely.