That sounds very familiar!

That definitely sounds the way of ASEAN in action. And it seems ASEAN has already accepted the outcome of the election whatever it will be, no matter how it will be done. I think that is the case. Or why would the Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa think ASEAN would be held hostage?

By whom? Burmese people and the activists? Or the leaders of the western countries? Or by all but not anybody from ASEAN?

Who are the actual hostages? To be clear, I must repeat that again! Who are held hostage by the ASEAN’s membership and its policy of non-interference? Who have been suffering all along for fifteen years since Burma was admitted into ASEAN and the junta was officially given immunity from meaningful questions and actions from the Burmese activists, the NLD, the UN and all other international leaders?

The glaring truths are the following:

Whilst the people of Burma have benefited nothing from ASEAN, the junta has survived largely on the support of ASEAN countries.

So what?

If so what? Then don’t blame anyone for how ASEAN itself has held itself hostage. That’s nobody’s idea! ASEAN and ASEAN along must be responsible for its member states, membership policy and the way it conduct human rights issue in the region – obviously it is Burma issue.

Why has the Burma issue not solved for fifteen years? Well, we have the right to say that is because ASEAN has been cushioning the fall of the junta.

If ASEAN was honest, it wouldn’t have kept itself as a hostage itself and in the hand of the Burma’s tyrannical junta for 15 years. ASEAN has been always involved in the politics of Burma but not on the side of millions of Burma’s deprived population.

ASEAN has all along kept the junta as its protégé – it’s just like a fashionable lady carrying her toy poodle in her shoulder bag; and lets the poodle bark to any passerby; and the people of Burma are held in its teeth like a piece bone – if not hostage in this case. And that is a truth. Many times ASEAN leaders have come to rescue of the junta especially whenever ASEAN had face Burma issue in ASEAN meetings. ASEAN has handicapped all international efforts including of the UN. ASEAN has been so sensitive to let go of the junta! What are the reasons?

ASEAN will not be “held hostage” – it’s this time very offensive against the fifty millions people. It is also the denial of ASEAN from its responsibility – which ASEAN has to shoulder for the welfare of the peoples of ASEAN – that directly includes Burmese people.

Obviously ASEAN wants its policy of non-inference strongly effective and has been using it as an advantage to ward off all political criticisms coming to it and solely that serves its tie with the junta – ignoring the people of Burma bluntly. ASEAN cannot cease the membership of Burma, can’t even postpone it – as it has no intention to give the junta up, saying ASEAN won’t be held hostage is more than an insult. Only a fool wouldn’t know the reason why ASEAN doesn’t like to solve Burma issue face to face with the junta.

In the hand of the junta, the Burmese people are subjects of abuse. The actual hostages are these Burmese people who cannot afford to live in a country of the Free World. Weren’t the people of Burma hostages of the junta during the catastrophic destructions of Cyclone Nargis? Which ASEAN country successfully attempted to help largely needing people in the disarrays of tragedy? Which ASEAN jumped into the sufferings of the cyclone victims that were obviously equivalent to the Haitian quake disaster?

If the junta fears of invasion or strong attack, then it can choose to do what right and start to make the lives of the people easier. But ASEAN has never seriously tried to encourage the junta to do that. Enough of decoys!

And now the junta has been stealthily campaigning for election. One of the most recent events was ‘make the correct choice’ that was included in the speech of the head of the junta Than Shwe. And ASEAN has already accepted not to deal with the junta. And wisely attacked the activists as well – ASEAN won’t be held hostage!

Thus, we have to ask:

1.     Why don’t Burmese people deserve any sympathy but just be in the hand of ASEAN and being heavily influenced by the ASEAN’s policy of non-interference?

2.     Why can’t they get any mercy from any regional country?

3.     Why should ASEAN support the junta as it has supported for 15 years as ignoring the people of Burma who actually need ASEAN to act responsibly?

4.     When will ASEAN get serious enough to handle Burma’s crises as its own?

I’m not confused. Why did all over again this way into public ASEAN leaders have to come out together? Definitely this is a reminder of the very delusory nature of ASEAN in the past so that must be an omen of another disaster to Burma!

The junta has no credit in its hand. But the ASEAN is so credulous – very deceivingly! It’s obviously the projection with a purpose –this is not a show of magicians but top spinning politicians deserving our respect. In any scenario, ASEAN will play the role of an apologist again. The wording of “ASEAN won’t be held hostage!” must be assumed that it is the starting signal of the race and ASEAN is to allow the junta to run off with the election.

Yet another question, yes, it is the last for now!

With no proof of any credibility that the election will be fair and just, without any agreement to make the election trustworthy, with no outline of the election how it would look like, how it would be held and how all concerned parties could participate and get into the voting population to offer what they have, whence the people of Burma as the stakeholders deserve to know first and foremost from the ruling junta all information concerned to the election but surprisingly that word (how it would be just and fair election) had to come from the ASEAN leaders to let the world know,  how has that word of the junta become efficiently worthy in the terms of ASEAN to have such an effect on the ASEAN ministers to have announced that word of the junta publicly to the world as though the word of the junta had sufficiently meaningful that the election is going to take place justly?

So we do know now that Burma is going for another election that would be fair! Thanks to ASEAN leaders for letting us know that the election would be fair although they have ignored the result of the 1990 election that was no fair. The people of Burma have all reasons to become serious as both the junta and ASEAN have been plotting (yes, I do think that is the case) the election that the junta has intended to win by the ‘correct choice’ policy. If we say the UN, as representing the international community, would be weak on Burma, then we have to say ASEAN will be just banana skin. I have no guts to trust ASEAN!

This is my Response to

Myanmar minister pledges free election: ASEAN (http://www.google. com/hostednews/ afp/article/ ALeqM5irbqMahMSn rkAyEY5qLdOFOVFs AQ)

That is how I felt! I expect all parties would understand my intentions!

All comments are welcome.

Min Khin Kyaw

15 Jan. 10

Related Reads

1.      http://www.aseanmp. org/docs/ resources/ noninterference. pdf

2.      http://www.aseansec .org/afp/ 11.htm
Min Khin Kyaw