Save her to Save Burma
Aug 29th, 2008
By Feraya Nangmone
To many people, especially in the West, Burma is just a small insignificant country in the East, ruled by a military government. The monks’ uprising in 2007 and the regime’s violent crackdown shocked a number of the people I know but because of other world events, Burma was soon forgotten. Earlier this year, the Cyclone Nargis brought Burma in the news again and the regime’s cruel and callous attitude toward the countless victims once again shocked the world community. However, because of other world disasters such as China’s earthquake and Russia’s invasion of Georgia, Burma is once again pushed to the backseat.
The people of Burma have experienced so many disappointments from world leaders that many of us are wary, weary, and wiser, and have come to expect little from them.
Gambari did what he was told to do, but the regime paid little heed to him or to his requests. The UN is just an organisation which obeys the rules that are outdated and does not have much affect on the chaos of the world today, where terrorists like the Taliban seem to take control and run the show, and the ‘super power’ members of the UN Security Council ignore the rules they lay down for others to follow - they have lost any moral authority they may have had.
Despite the messy political world, we must bear in mind that there are still good leaders with compassion and integrity. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has sacrificed her freedom for the people of Burma, she is the one person who gives us hope, and she stands for true democracy and fairness, equality for all, and we wholeheartedly support her. She may not be physically strong, but she has inner strength, courage, steadfastness and determination, and her enduring love for the people of Burma.
She knows and understands our heartaches, anger, frustrations and misery and has learned to live with her own. Time may have healed our wounds and dampened our fire to fight for freedom and justice, but we will never forget.
Daw Suu is the thorn in the regime’s flesh. If they harm her in any way, the people of Burma will be outraged and will never forgive their despicable inhumanness, and whether the regime cares or not, the world will condemn them.
Despite our concern for Daw Suu, too many of us have suffered already and too many of our brothers and sisters have lost their lives, we cannot forget what we have fought for and we will not stop fighting.
Despite so many obstacles, disappointments and setbacks, we will not give up the hope of achieving our goal of true democracy and the downfall of Burma’s brutal, backward and ignorant despotic military regime.
“No victory would be more glorious than the day the dictator was finally vanquished and the dream of democracy once more became a reality.”- Benazir Bhutto in “Daughter of the East”.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:54 am
The vast majority of the Burmese, so called democratic forces, never ever take any effort to enrich themselves with the spirit of democracy for the past twenty years. As a result we have seen numerous cases of undemocratic, Ne-Win like cunning manipulations of processes, power struggles, disunity, unfair, undemocratic practices and wrong attitudes towards one’s own kind etc. and all these ills prevail among the groups claiming to be supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The more they shout “ASSK!” the louder they shout “dmocracy -ya-shi-ye doh-aye” on top of their lungs they thought they are fighting for democracy.
If we go on like this then we will get the same result we get in the past twenty years! We usually like to do the same thing we have done before, repeat the same slogans, follow the same path …. In that way things seem to be easier and correct. And if we behave like this we will end up at the same station - we are now, today! The enemy we have been fighting against will not move an inch. And fighting we will do until our last breath for sure! But there will be no result. In Physics Work=Force x distance. If the SPDC has not moved an inch for the past 20 years despite our “forces” then d=zero. WORK= Fx zero= ZERO!
Let the UN carry on its job. SPDC will move on according to their road map. But we must have our OWN road map and our own agenda. Our own drum must we beat, our own tune must we compose for the SPDC or UN to dance. Come on! There are alot of intelligent peoples among the Burmese. We are not monkeys! Are we?
If national reconciliation, dialogue or tripatite dialogue is not fortcoming for the past twenty years why cling to the same old strategy? Do we want to end up in the same hell we are in?
Any comment or criticism is welcome and apprecaited.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:59 am
The FIRST and LAST word for Burma’s FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY is UNITY as oft spoken by our late founder of Burma and father of today’s Burma Army General Aung San and his daughter Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, showing her courage and resolve facing Than Shwe and his 400,000 strong army, armed and backed by Chinese communists and Russia under the heels of a former KGB officer today.
And the last word Than Shwe wants to HEAR is SOLIDARITY among the Burmese opposition alliances both inside and outside of Burma and he is doing his best to DESTABILIZE the opposition alliances by driving wedges - Kyant Phuts and Swan Ah Shin -among the people.
People like Maung Maung and his like also, with fat wallets and smooth talking also, would not HELP in our struggle for Burma’s freedom and democracy.
Maung Maung’s way of ‘buying’ his way into the NCUB and TURNING on NCGUB also, not to mention his habit of getting things done his way is MOST DANGEROUS and DISASTROUS in our struggle, and more so in our path to VICTORY over the military rulers in Burma.
George Than Setkyar Heine
Washington DC
USA