Burmas Moment of Truth

Burmas halting progress toward democracy has stalled.

Its time for the United States to get off the fence.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL-JULY 27, 2015

So the Burmese government has finally set a date for the next
national election. Thats good news. At least we know that theres definitely going to be
a vote. The governments dithering had raised fears that it might be angling for a
postponement.
Yet Burmas tribulations are far from over.The countrys nascent democracy is in deep
trouble. And you dont have to rely on me as the source. Just ask the Burmese.
Recently I had the privilege to meet up here in Washington with Wai Wai Nu, a 27year-old Burmese political activist. She had come to speak with U.S. government
officials and human rights organizations, but ended up getting a bit more than shed
bargained for. On June 23, President Barack Obama invited her (and a diverse bunch
of American Muslims) to the White House for iftar, the evening meal that marks the
daily breaking of the Ramadan fast. Wai Wai Nu is a Rohingya, the Muslim minority
that has been the object of considerable violence and discrimination in Burma in
recent years.

It was a thrilling experience for her. She even got to sit at the presidents table, one
chair away from him, and she was so excited, she told me, that she actually forgot to
eat. Oh my god, it was so special, she said, laughing incredulously. There I was,
from the most persecuted group in Burma, meeting a man from a persecuted group
whos now the most powerful person in the world.
The feeling was especially poignant for a young woman who spent seven years in
prison not for anything she did, but solely because of who she is.
In 2005, her father, an activist and ex-member of parliament, publicly criticized the
harsh military junta that was ruling the country. He also openly sided with opposition
leader and Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was then still under house
arrest. In retaliation, the regime decided to jail not only him but also the rest of his
family (Wai Wai Nu and her mother, sister, and brother). They were released in 2012
as part of an amnesty for political prisoners ordered by the reformist government of
President Thein Sein, who has said that he wants to move the country away from its
old authoritarian ways.
When I asked her what she told President Obama, she demurred, saying that she
didnt feel it was appropriate to share their conversation. But she was quite clear about
the message shes trying to convey to the U.S. government. The situation is
desperate, she told me, and Washington is standing quietly by as matters
deteriorate.She wants the Americans to send a clear signal to Burmas leaders that
further backsliding on democratic reforms wont be tolerated.
Were experiencing a deterioration of human rights violations in every sector, she
told me firmly. There should a return to sanctions. In 2013, the U.S.
begansuspending some of its long-standing sanctions against Burmas military regime.
Now Wai Wai Nu wants to see some of those restrictions reinstated specifically the
ones that target particularly odious regime figures with visa bans. Thats the only way,
she says, to ensure that the government will stick to its promise to allow a free and fair
election. We appreciate the U.S. concern about our country and our cause but we
should have more concrete action, rather than just expressing worries in a statement.
Shes right to worry. Jennifer Quigley, head of the non-profit U.S. Campaign for Burma,
says that the U.S. is soft-pedaling its message to the Burmese authorities. Rather than
demanding free and fair elections in November, Quigley says, the State Department
is opting instead for the words credible, transparent, and inclusive intentionally
setting the bar low, she says, so that Washington can maintain a good relationship
with the Burmese government even if the vote turns out to be less than democratic.
She wants the U.S. to restore some individual sanctions and to hold off on
grantingtrade benefits to Burma.
(Asked to comment on Quigleys critique of its formula, a U.S. State Department
spokesperson responded that it uses those terms because they are more precise in
describing the key elements of a successful election, and added that, in the end, the
credibility of the elections will be determined by the extent to which the people of
Burma have confidence in the fairness of the electoral process and believe the

election results accurately reflect their collective will.)

To be sure, Burma has come a long way in the past few years at least in some
respects. Wai Wai Nu admits that the country has experienced real change since the
government started to open up four years ago. A 2012 election allowed a handful of
opposition members, including Aung San Suu Kyi herself, to enter parliament.
Journalists found themselves with the space to discuss long-taboo topics. Foreigners
flooded in. Once-drowsy Rangoon, the countrys biggest city, was suddenly dotted by
construction sites and filled with cars. The government vowed to negotiate an end to
the 67-year civil war.
Yet over the past year its become a lot harder to feel optimistic. President Thein Seins
government has succumbed to drift and indecision. The military, still the countrys
best-organized institution, has seized the opportunity to push back, hard. Wai Wai Nu
notes that military lawmakers in parliament have frustrated efforts to change the
constitution, which guarantees the armed forces a leading role in political life.
Journalists are being thrown into jail again, and in some cases even killed. Farmers
are complaining of a surge in illegal land seizures. Fighting has flared up again
between government troops and rebels. The peace process has stalled (though there
have beensigns of hope over the past few days).
And then theres the plight of her people, the Rohingya, whose situation has actually
gone downhill since Burma began opening up five years ago. Three years ago, ethnic
tensions between the Rohingya and their Buddhist neighbors exploded into open
conflict. Hundreds of Rohingya were killed. The authorities, supported by increasingly
militant Buddhist nationalists, seized the opportunity to move many Rohingya into
internment camps. The government has effectively deprived many Rohingya who
are often depicted as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh even though
the overwhelming majority of them have lived in the country for generations of the
right to vote. Violence and discrimination have prompted many to flee the country in
desperation, often with catastrophic results.
People say that Burma is changing, moving forward, Wai Wai Nu told me. But how
is it a success story if were facing extinction? Were facing ethnic cleansing, people
dying in the sea. What does democracy mean then? She cites recent measures
that deprive Rohingya of their voting rights, as well as a package of discriminatory
laws, sponsored by ultranationalist Buddhist monks, designed to protect the race and
religion of Burmas majority Buddhists. (Two of the four bills have become law, while
the rest are still working their way through parliament.) Whats worse, even some prodemocracy activists have been jumping on the nationalist bandwagon, raising the
specter of a future tyranny by the majority.
She shook her head. When a minority isnt enjoying freedom with you, that isnt
democracy. Everyone in the society should enjoy freedom. Unless everyones rights
and freedoms are protected, you will never achieve democracy and freedom in your
society. These arent abstract issues for Wai Wai Nu. As we parted, she mentioned
that the son of a prominent politician back home had posted a statement on Facebook

attacking her meeting with President Obama. How could a mere Bengali, he
sneered, claim to represent Burma in the White House?
This is a critical moment in Burmas democratic evolution, and the United States
shouldnt stand by. Washington should do what it can to ensure that the forces of
intolerance and autocracy dont win the upper hand.
(The photo above shows police confronting student protesters on June 30.)
Photo credit: Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images
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