08.11.2006
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We Also Want to Stand on Our Own Feet
Presentation to Wilton Parl Conference
[Wilton Park is part of the British Government, but academically independent, created as a vehicle for international dialogue. Its site since 1950 has been Winston House in Sussex. Earlier this month there was a conference in Wilton Park to discuss “How Should the International Community Respond To Burma’s Needs.]
First of all I’d like to say thanks to our host the Wilton Park, and the five organizations with whose help this conference is carried out. And I’d also like to express thanks to all NGOs and aid agencies and UN agencies who are trying to help our poor people in Burma.
I am here today attending this conference as a representative of our Forum of Burmese People in Europe, which is an umbrella organization unifying all Burmese pro-democracy activists from all around Europe. And before I came here I talked with at least some of FBE leaders concerning what I would be in this concerning. So what I am speaking here is not just my own personal opinion but also reflects the collective view of the FBE.
Here, I will present a symmetrical two pronged approach to be taken by the international community to help Burma.
In this day & age, international community can’t neglect Burma, simply because we cannot ignore the sufferings of fifty million people inside Burma.
The sufferings of our people are too numerous, as we all know and as has been discussed a lot in the previous days in this conference: there are in Burma _
- more than a million IDPs, and multiple millions of refugee from Burma staying in neighbouring countries as people without country
- thousands of political prisoner being tortured everyday
- thousands of ethnic minority people being killed, raped, and their homes burned down every day by regime’s soldiers
- millions of malnourished children
- And only God knows how many HIV, TB, malaria patients; government just tend to cover up everything
- No freedom of information
- Corrupt administration system from top to bottom
What is the root cause?
As the whole world knows, the corrupt & inefficient government is the root cause. Not just this current regime, but the successive military dictatorships since about half a century ago.
How to solve the problem
When we try to solve Burma’s problems, we need to think about both the short-term emergency aid measures as well as long-term definitive solutions.
I’d like to say her that we, the Forum of Burmese in Europe, thank all European donors, aid agencies, UN agencies and NGOs who are providing assistance and aid to poor ordinary Burmese people.
But there’s a problem. See the case of IDPs and refugees. When ethnic people are forced to run away from their homes by regime’s ethnic cleansing, NGOs and donors rush to their rescue. Assistance and emergency aids are given. That is very good. Very noble. But the problem is how long can NGOs go on giving such assistance. If after a few years, their funding dry out NGOs will have to leave. Then our IDPs and refugees will be left stranded in neighbouring countries as people without country, and without receiving any further assistance from anybody. And to make matters worse, more and more refugees will keep on arriving to the camps. So it clearly shows that we need not only to give short-term emergency humanitarian aids but also need to think about long-term problem solving. In this case_ the case of IDPs & refugees_ to stop the causes which forced these people to flee their homes in the first place.
And even if donors and NGOs can go on giving emergency humanitarian aids to Burma for an eternity, there still remains a serious problem.
Burmese are a proud & independent[-minded people. We are really grateful for the assistance and charity we are receiving these days. But we also want to be able to stand on our own feet. We cannot go on indefinitely living our lives on charity from around the world. We do not want our people to become regarded by the world as begging people. We do not want our next generation to have to go on begging around the world for charity and donations. We want our sons and grand sons to be able to live in their home land as proud citizens who can stand on their own feet.
So, although we are genuinely grateful for the short-term aids and assistance, we have to say that a short-term emergency humanitarian aid alone is not good enough.
Let me give you another example. If a patient with chest pain comes to hospital, and if we just give oxygen, pain-killers and such other emergency aids only, without trying to treat the underlying cause of chest pain, is that good enough?
In Burma people are poor not because there’s no money in Burma. There is money in Burma. Burmese generals are making billions of dollars every year from gas, oil, forestry and mining in Burma. But the problem is they are using that money to buy huge diamonds for very grand and very glamorous and very glittering weddings for their daughters. So you know what is the root cause of long term problems in Burma.
Here we are not asking NGOs and donors to plot and plan for a regime change in Burma. I know they cannot do it. But there are some aspects in which NGOs and humanitarian aid agencies can help for improving the long-term future of Burma.
For instance, when NGOs and donors get a chance to engage and talk with the generals in Burma, they can offer to give advice on how to better manage the economy. And they can give advice on how to tackle corruptions in the administrative system. And they can ask_ of course nicely and politely_ the generals to reduce the practice of forced labour. And they can request Burmese generals to involve and engage with opposition parties and ethnic leaders in meaningful dialogues. And they can even appeal the generals to treat our ethnic people more kindly.
Of course there is a risk of losing face with regime’s generals if advice is offered on how to improve their jobs. But we should not be too reluctant to take risks. As you all know, the international red-cross was accused of committing the sin of silence concerned with the killing of millions of innocent Jews during World War II. The Red cross thought that if they complained against the holocaust they would lose face with Nazi Germans; and they thought they might lose their access to Prisoners of War in Germany if they lost face with Nazis. So later the Red Cross, the biggest international NGO, was deservedly accused of the sin of silence. I hope it will not be repeated in Burma.
And another important thing UN agencies can do is to offer to regime developmental aids tied to progress in democratic reforms. Of course, I know that emergency humanitarian aids cannot and should not be tied to democratic reforms. HIV patients need drugs, TB patients need drugs, malaria patients need drugs, and they cannot wait until Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released from detention. Humanitarian aids must be provided urgently without being tied to democratic reforms. But other developmental aids can ethically be tied to democratic reforms.
And one last thing, but not least, is to change EU’s common policy on sanctions. We, activists, and you, the NGOs, can work together to get EU’s sanction policy changed. European governments will not and cannot lift sanctions on Burma. The world’s people loath Burma’s SPDC military regime. So if European governments lift sanctions, there will be a very severe backlash in opinion polls and the media. Unlike Burma’s generals who don’t need to face elections, European governments have to respect public opinion. So they cannot lift the sanctions. But they can change their sanctions. And we all can work together to lobby them to change the EU’s common position on sanctions.
For instance, we can ask the EU to shift sanctions from pine-apple juice and agricultural products to gas, oil, forestry and mining sectors. Currently EU put sanctions on pine-apple juice from Burma. Pine-apple juice has nothing to do with the regime. Regime is not interested in such very small business like pine-apple juice. So EU can lift pine-apple juice sanctions which hurt ordinary small farmers and small business-men. Instead, EU must put sanctions on gas, oil, forestry and mining sectors in Burma which gives billions of dollars to regime’s generals for buying weapons, nuclear technology for their army and huge diamonds for their daughters.
So in essence, I’d like to urge you to help Burma not only in short-term emergency measures but please also think about ways and means to tackle the root cause of Burma’s problems, for the sake of the long term future of our country and our future generations.
I don’t want my sons to go around the world begging for charities and donations. That’s all I want to say. Thank you very much.
[This presentation is publish here in accordance with Chatham House rule which stipulates that discussions made in the conference can be published for public knowledge only with the proper permission of the speaker.]
Comments:
U Nwe Aung said _
The presentation of Dr Tayzathuria is good and acceptable, thanks a lot.
On the other hand, it is to be noted that the FBE previously has boycotted the Wilton Park conference since the procedure of handpicked speakers and invitees, leaving out the main democratic forces, is unacceptable. The selection of the participants is obviously unbalanced and undemocratic. Without fair participation, the conference could be compared to the sham national convention of the SPDC.
Neill Staurland said _
Dear Dr. Tayza, Your consistent work and engagement to improve the grave conditions for the Burmese people is outstanding.
You have my full support.
Your Comments here_
Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
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Previous issue's English articles