Burma's regime: No time frame for democratization process

Mizzima News:
Commentary)
Myat Soe

In response to new challenges over the past years, many world leaders
are trying to find ways to support and improve political and economic
climates. They know the key to the nation's future is to find a way
to support sustainable development for the years to come. They all
believe one thing stays the same: --"the need to change". Indeed, the
situation is always changing in international and regional climates,
and will always keep changing.

In the regional political climate in Southeast Asia, the Thai army

chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin who led a coup against Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appointed an interim government within
two weeks and national elections would be held in a year. In
Philippines, provoking rebellion was arrested to face the court of
justice. This pre-emptive action saved the country from further
decline by crushing the selfish motivated individuals who wished
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo out using extra-constitutiona l
means. Former Prime Ministers Mahathi of Malaysia immediately
resigned from all his party and government positions, ending 21 years
in office. In the same way, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew from
Singapore stayed away from the country's politics and handed over
power to the next generation. The current leaders in those two
countries were convinced of continuing changes and transforming a new
generation. Besides, the whole world has witnessed that national
reconciliation and democratization process in Indonesia and Cambodia
are working well. Even one of the world's last communist countries,
Vietnam is trying to open a new chapter with western countries by
hosting the APEC Summit, and it was a golden opportunity for Vietnam
to present itself. Indeed, no one should hold onto power in the
region for a lifetime, -- Field Marshal or Prime Minister, without
changing himself or the nation's future.

"For things to change I must change first", this is what all regional
leaders should tell the next young generation. Mistakes are learning
experiences to become better.

But, this philosophy does not work for a new generation of selfish
motivated generals who are implementing and controlling the policy
and strategies in Burma. They don't wish to learn from the mistakes
of late General Ne Win who drove his country into poverty and
disrepute over a 26-year reign. No matter what, a new generation of
generals are trying to promote themselves as Chairman of SPDC, Field
Marshal of Burma's army, who wish to be honoured with State Funeral
Service, like Stalin and Saddam who painted himself as a benevolent
ruler and hero to his lackeys while engaging in unspeakably vile
atrocities in secret.

Over two decades, Burma's rulers have been busy with dog-eat-dog
policies. No substantial and significant result has been achieved. No
time frame for political development has been made. The fact of the
matter is the Burmese regime does not want to change its attitude
towards its own citizens and their repressive policies. After the
United Nations Undersecretary- General, Ibrahim Gambari's visit, the
Burmese generals charged and imprisoned the three most prominent
student leaders of Burma, Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kye who
have been working tirelessly to bring about democratic changes in the
country by peaceful means, in the same way as Aung San Suu Kyi's
detention was extended by another year following Gambari's previous
visit to Burma.

Recently, the Burmese regime claimed that UN resolution against the

junta would destroy peace and accused the Security Council of trying
to interfere in its domestic affairs. It is a ridiculous statement
made by selfish motivated generals. How can you maintain peace in a
country under repressive policies? Nevertheless, the evidence is that
the conflict in Burma has displaced over one million people. There
are currently more than 1,100 political prisoners in notorious jails,
and four million citizens have left their own country since 1988.
Indeed, many thousands of people in the war zones of Burma are
suffering growing humanitarian crisis that will increase threats to
Burma's neighbouring countries and the entire region. Even many human
rights groups have expressed concern about arbitrary arrests by
military intelligence agents, prolonged interrogation, and the
torture and ill treatment of detainees.

Despite more than 28 resolutions adopted by the U.N. General Assembly

and the Commission on Human Rights, calling for national
reconciliation and democratization in Burma, as well as the actions
undertaken by the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and his office
over the past ten years, and the four envoys to Burma mandated by the
U.N. Commission on Human Rights, the SPDC's unlawful methods of
political and ethnic repression have intensified and consolidated. In
reality, the United Nation resolution becomes music to the ears of
the notorious generals in Burma who have few friends in the region.
It also lent its support to the junta's new roadmap to the military
way of democracy.
The U.N and its Security Council must not fail the Burmese people
again when they need protection the most. We, the Burmese people need
both political and economic reform moving in the right direction, and
we need it soon. For that reason, the U.N Security Council's
resolution should not be the same as the UN resolutions without a
plan called decisive actions based on principles. The international
and regional climates were quite different from when the regional
leaders had confronted the Burmese regime more than a decade earlier.
The Council must move towards more active formal measures and take
punitive actions toward Burma's rulers who need to be primarily
responsible for national reconciliation and democratization process.

(Myat Soe is Research Director of Justice for Human Rights in Burma.

He graduated from Indiana University, and earned his MBA from Indiana
Wesleyan University)