Letter from Burma

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Date: 12 Jun 1997 

The Nation 

Letter from Burma 

Times of transition breed certainty 

The process of significant change from one state to another is often fraught 
with difficulties. In Burma, we tend to attribute vague, unidentifiable 
sicknesses with seasonal change. People generally feel ill at ease and 
uncomfortable in these in-between periods where everything from the 
temperature to the state of their bones seem uncertain. How much more 
unsettling it must be during periods of social and political transition. 

Burma is supposed to have started the transition from a one-party socialist 
authoritarian state to a democratic society eight years ago. Leaving aside for 
the moment the question of whether or not we have made any progress along this 
path we can certainly confirm that all the difficulties and more associated 
with times of transition are being experienced in our country. 

There is uncertainty about matters to which people would not give a second 
thought in normal societies. For example, schoolchildren, university students 
and their parents all over Burma are waiting to hear when the ''summer 
vacation" will come to an end. Some universities have been closed since the 
student demonstrations of early December last year. 

As for the schools which closed for their usual summer holidays at the 
beginning of March, the new term was meant to have started at the beginning of 
this month. But for some reason there has not yet been any indication as to 
when this new term will begin. 

As an added complication there are rumours that the colour of the children's 
uniform, which is known as ''school green", might well be changed. There is 
some speculation as to whether the new colour is to be blue or purple (blue is 
considered to be the safer bet). One wonders whether such decisions are based 
on esthetics, politics or astrology. None of this helps to alleviate the 
confusion of the people who are already uncertain of the road ahead of them. 

The subject of inflation is both tedious and irresistible. A housewife comes 
back from the bazaar muttering a litany of the price rises that have taken 
place since the last shopping expedition which could have been as recent as 
the previous day. 

It does not make for security to be unable to calculate your daily household 
expenses. Perhaps the only ones who have received a temporary respite from the 
worry of inflation are the schoolchildren who do not for the moment have to 
haggle with their parents over the pocket money they need. 

In Rangoon, a decent school lunch costs the equivalent of the average daily 
pay earned by the lowest-ranking civil servant. This makes the fact that some 
families of state employees can still manage to send their children to school 
a near miracle. 

But, of course, most people are aware that this is more the age of bribery and 
corruption than of miracles because our civil servants are obliged to 
supplement their official income to make ends meet. 

Burmese Buddhists talk constantly of annica, the law of impermanence. Nothing 
is forever, everything is in a process of change. But it would be so much more 
bearable if that change could be a smooth journey rather than a series of 
rough leaps and bounds across precarious terrain. 

While accepting that nothing is permanent it would still be nice to think that 
electricity supply is more, rather than less, permanent and lights can be 
turned on at the flick of a switch. The erratic nature of our electricity 
supply may confirm the basic fact of life that we cannot take anything for 
granted. But it certainly doesn't make life any easier. 

It came as a surprise to many Burmese people when the power failure in Kuala 
Lumpur last year was considered news of international importance. We reckon 
that if every time there was a power failure in Rangoon and it had to be 
reported in the newspapers there would not be much room for other news items. 

The unreliability of our electricity supply is nothing new ­ it was very much 
a part of Burma under socialism. But according to some people, the element of 
unpredictability has increased since the frequently proclaimed transition to 
what is said to be a free market economy. We all feel vulnerable when the 
process of change is not cushioned by the necessary mechanism to take away 
some pains of adjustment.