Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is 100% Correct: The

unwavering emblem of Burmese National

Character
Sun, 2010-03-28 23:36 — editor
Article
Prof: Kanbawza Win
When it come to national character I could not stay aloof, even though my eye
specialist refrain me to working too much on computer, as I have just
celebrated by 73rd birthday.

In my earlier essay I have highlighted of how the success of the coming unfair
elections will depend on the third party participating and now the NLD is at
the cross road. If one were to look back at the not so recent history of modern
Burma, it starts with the concordat at Panglong Conference where the ethnic
nationalities decided to throw their lot with the Myanmar/Burman to gain
independence from Britain.

The authentic Burmese national characteristic of Union of Burma torch by

our beloved Bogyoke Aung San was short lived as the civilian government
could not solve the ethnic grievances and the end result was the military
administration came into power in 1959 as a caretaker and three years later in
a coup de’é tat.

The Tatmadaw led by its successive Generals had tasted power and will never
let it go until and unless forcibly taken from them. The whole concept of this
unfair election with a rigged Nargis Constitution (also known as the 3rd
Constitution) is that the Tatmadaw Generals knew that they had all the time
being a de facto administration rather than a de jure government which they
crave very much in the international arena. In their hearts of hearts they
realize that the pungent smell of the word “Myanmar”, is so obnoxious among
the civilized community of the world, that no one would even dared to
mention their name. Hence either by hook or by crook they will have to
implement this unjustified election, just to get a semblance of legitimacy.

Concerning this, whether one should participate or not, many theories for the
pros and cons have been put up by various groups’ individuals, parties and
organization both by the Myanmar and the Non Myanmar.

The Non-Myanmar or rather the ethnic nationalities (they cannot be label as

minorities because how can 40% of the country’s population of 50 plus
million can be label as minority) under the umbrella of ENC accepted the
theory of defeatism and encourage the ethnic nationalities in participating,
their hypothesis being that if they did not put up their own men, the Junta
will choose someone instead. The Council leadership, do not have the will nor
strength and lamentably courage and vision is solely lacking and tend to
accept the Machiavellian theory that “the end justifies the means” and that
might is right, that the ethnic nationalities should take something out of
nothing.

This kind of logic is not unexpected for its leader hailing from a family whose
grandfather instead of joining the resistance brought in the British when King
Thibaw was dethrone, and whose father not satisfied to be the chief of Shan
opt to be a chief of the Burman/Myanmar later died in jail. Behind them is the
NRP whose point man is not from Burma but a hook nose farang with
ulterior motives. No doubt it was under their patronage that some of the
ethnic nationalities are participating in the coming elections. Perhaps one
would rather agree with what Ko Nyi of Nederland who wrote that they
should all go back to Burma and compete in the elections.

On the pro democracy movement, there are many apologists, psychopaths,

opportunists and some sincere followers. In the category of Diaspora, a great
majority harbour nostalgia and missed their loved ones back at home and is
finding a pretext to go home on conditions that they will not be persecuted
once in Burma, as they had done to Nyi Nyi Aung.

Obviously these homesick Burmese wish to go back and be somebody in

Burma as they are tired living a life of nonentity in foreign lands. Hence a
great many of them put up their theory of participating in the elections and in
Vancouver the Sino Burmese community led by a self appointed Christian
pastor encouraged by the former narco boss openly lobby for Junta.

But the majority of the activists inside the country are in the doldrums being
put between the devil and the deep sea and seems to be wavering. However it
was only Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a true daughter of a sincere patriot that
come out boldly and truthfully regarding the elections and it was she that
continue to hold the banner of the Burmese national characteristics. Like her
martyred Daddy, she is not only the icon but ready to sacrifice her life for the
sake of the country and people against the thugs of the Burmese Tatmadaw.

She knew that if she wavered, Burma will go down the drain forever as a
country whose leaders are liars as they lie the very concept of truth, whose
armed forces is a rapist army, known in Burmese as Mudane Tatmadaw a
government that is indirectly involved in narcotic trade, and would not
hesitate to commit gross human rights violations and ethnic cleansing. She
knows that “ if wealth is lost, nothing is lost, but if health is lost something is
lost but if character is lost then everything is lost” and whether she competes
in election or not could not bear to lose the national characteristics of Burma.
Hence she stands firm.

She also knew that the moral degradation of the country has spiralled down
since 1962 when an immoral military Junta came into being. So the younger
generation of activists both inside and outside Burma were being brought up
in the Ne Win era and those of the ex brass members of the NLD knows very
little about the national characteristics of the country. She also seems to sense
that the purer stock of the Myanmar are more sincere than the half caste Sino
Burman who are at the helm of the country’s Tatmadaw and is unwittingly
taking the country into the Chinese orbit somewhat to be like Tibet, the next
autonomous region of China (the authentic prove of it is that China will
always defends Burma at the UN and other international agencies). Hence she
has come out strongly.

She knew that "The evil deserves no aid", and that "Sticks and stones will
break my bones, but words will never hurt me" for morality refers to personal
or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores that distinguish between
right and wrong in the human society. Describing the Burmese morality in
this way is not making a claim about what is objectively right or wrong, but
only referring to what is considered right or wrong by people. It could be
defined as the conduct of the ideal "moral" person in a certain situation and
this is exactly what Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is in. The universal, eternal moral
truths are known as moral absolutism which she alone has, whereas the
Tatmadaw Generals could not comprehend what is moral, ethical, virtuous,
righteous and noble.

Morality in the context of Burmese politics is a timely topic as it is a good way

to approach it. One starting point is the change in the socio-structural and
socio-cultural conditions of the military era since 1962 which involves change
in the empirical conditions of moral action and in the social demand on
morality as the drug war lords and cronies became the perfect gentlemen of
Myanmar. All these changes are accounted for and analyzed in the social
sciences, new perspectives emerge that give rise to new ways of framing issues
and problems and hence there are those who construe that this election is
worth its salt.

For the majority of the people of Burma the degradation of the national
character is a rallying cry. A national character, to the extent that such a thing
can be defined, changes slowly, and it is in rare person like Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi who can feel what is happening before the process is almost
complete. Time has come to the people of Burma to demonstrate their
national character of whether to yield to the military thugs or stood our
ground, come what may, for men may come and men may go but the Genuine
Union of Burma which Bogyoke Aung San had ignited will go on forever.

The people of Burma both Myanmar and non Myanmar have common sense,
a cognitive science, all these unjust electoral laws and the tyrannical rules
imposed by the Tatamadaw on the people of Burma for more than half a
century cannot last forever.
Common sense has a conceptual structure that is usually unconscious. It is
the commonsensical quality of political discourse that makes it imperative to
decide. Now the world will judge us how the people of Burma for two or three
generations react to this crisis and as a people are we willing, characteristic,
assertiveness or independence.

To the ethnic nationalities, please remember Bogyoke Aung San and the
fallen ethnic leaders, they have not die in vain and continue to uphold their
dream of Genuine Pyidaungsu which the current Generals ridiculed. Please
stay united through thick and thin, and do not be fooled by those who are able
to tap the international resources for them. For the people of Myanmar
especially to the NLD, these unjust laws and unfair elections is not a fait
accompli, rather a time to prove that the dignity and the principles of the
people are more important than the existence of the political party. Please
continue to stand on the moral high ground and not to legitimize the Junta
for the whole world is behind you and who knows may deliver a coup de grace
for the tyrannical Junta is just an ideal from the old hag.
- Asian Tribune -