12.11.2006
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Editorial: Where do They Go?
_ By Dr. Tayza
Saddam Hussein’s death sentence is giving Burmese generals cold shivers down their spines.
Iraq’s scenario during Saddam’s reign is quite a bit too similar to that of Burma today. Saddam didn’t allow democracy for his people, but used his secret police force to silence any political opposition. Saddam did ethnic cleansing on minority Kurdish people. Saddam practised extreme nepotism and cronyism, and his administration was corrupt from top to bottom. And Saddam was regarded as one of the worst dictators in the world. And Saddam defied pressures from US and UN for reforms in his country. And to show his defiance, Saddam forced his people to make fake public rallies to denounce US and UN. And despite his despotism Saddam had a delusional belief that he is a hero of Arab world, or probably an Arab Royal.
Exactly the same thing is happening in Burma nowadays. There’s no democracy in Burma. Political dissidents are all shut up behind bars and tortured. Ethnic minorities are killed, raped, used as forced labourers, their properties looted and their houses burnt down as part of a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign. And the entire administrative system is corrupt from top to bottom. And our General Than Shwe enjoys the rank of the second worst dictator in the world. But he is defying US and UN pressure for reforms. And he is staging in Burma some fake public rallies and denunciations on US and UN, which are organized by his semi-political militant organization called USDA, styled on the brown-shirts in Hitler’s Nazi Germany. And Than Shwe also has a delusion of grandeur and thinks himself as a Saviour King!
And now after hearing the news about Saddam’s death sentence, Than Shwe and his followers are preparing to complete their nuclear project as soon as possible. They have recently established very cordial relations with North Korea. And they already have close cooperations with Pakistan and good relationship with Iran. Moreover, hundreds, or even thousands, of Burmese military officers are getting training from Russia for building and maintaining nuclear factories. And if they still need some more technical help, they can always rely on their eternal blind supporters in Communist China.
But in fact, Than Shwe doesn’t need nuclear bombs to safeguard himself. If he steps down today and take his troops back to their barracks, Burmese people and their leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will not take revenge on them. Burmese are a very forgiving people in their nature. We are campaigning passionately for democracy not because we want to hang Than Shwe, but because we want to restore human rights and install a true federalism in our country. And we know that democracy, human rights and federalism will not genuinely occur if the future parliament has half of its seats occupied by military’s hand-picked delegates, and if the President must come from military background. That’s why we all oppose SPDC regime’s Sham National Convention and its pro-military constitution.
But if they start today a sincere and meaningful tri-partite dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders, we are definitely sure that national reconciliation can be established; and national reconciliation will also include forgiveness to the Generals, styled on post-apartheid South Africa.
Even during our Independence struggle, Burmese people never had any grudge against the British and the Japanese people, although we passionately fought against colonialism and foreign invasion.
Likewise, although we don’t like corrupt, brutal and illegitimate military rule in our country, we have no personal hatred against the Generals.
We know that Burmese Generals are feeling like a pack of wild-dogs trapped in a corner by three lions. They are facing pressure from international community. And they have to deal with democratic opposition. And they also have to fight ethnic forces. So, it is natural that they feel trapped and become very paranoid.
But the best way out for the Generals, as well as for the people, is not to go nuclear. But to go along the road to sincere national reconciliation brought about by meaningful tripartite dialogues with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders.
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