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Interview with Communist Party of I



"We have in an unequivocally manner expressed our support to Burmese
people in this struggle"

(Interview with Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau Member of Communist Party of
India (Marxist) on India's support to democracy in Burma)

Date : 17th October 1998

	A powerful left party of India has expressed its solidarity with
Burmese people in their struggle for restoration of democracy in Burma.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is in power in three states
of India expressed its support and solidarity with National League for
Democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi in its 16th Congress which was held in
Calcutta, West Bengal State of India on 5-11 October 1998. In its overall
resolution and political report of the Congress, CPI (M) mentioned ; "The
struggle of the Burmese people for the restoration of democracy has
entered a new phase. The National League for Democracy under the
leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi had won a landslide victory in the 1990
general elections polling more than 80 percent of the vote. But the
Parliament has not been convened till date. The campaign for the convening
of the Parliament is gaining popular support. The ruling military junta
prevented Aung San Suu Kyi to travel and address her party workers and
people and virtually confined her to house arrest, once again. The CPI (M)
has expressed its solidarity with the struggle of the Burmese people for
restoration of democracy".

	The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is a part of the third
largest political force in the Indian politics and it has 32 Members of
Parliament in the current Lok Sabha (Lower House) of India. Sitaram
Yechury, a spokesperson and member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI (M),
spoke to MIZZIMA News Group on the position of his party and the role of
India towards democratic movement in Burma.  Excerpts :

Q : 	Recent Congress of your party had a resolution on Burma. Can you
tell us about it ?
A :	The recently concluded 16th Congress of the CPI (M), as a part of
its overall political resolution and its political report, has
specifically mentioned our solidarity with the struggle for democracy in
Burma. And also with the manner in which the leaders  and Members of
Parliament of the NLD are being detained which we think runs contrary to
the spirit of democratic assertion that has been the symbol of the later
part of the 20th century in the world. We have urged the current regime in
Burma to convene the duly elected parliament apart from the fact that our
Members of Parliament have been active and mobilising support and also
writing to the current head of the Burmese State, asking him to convene
the parliament which has not been convened for eight years now after the
election. And therefore we have in an unequivocally manner expressed our
support to Burmese people in this struggle. And this Congress has
specially noted that this solidarity of the CPI (M) and we think a large
section of Indian people with the Burmese will continue to remain. And
grows strong in the days to come and we can only wish the Burmese people
for success in the struggle. 

Q:	How do you analyze the present political situation in Burma?
A:	Well, we have been following the developments in Burma but
naturally we are handicapped by the fact that we don't get full
information. Whatever have come down through the media and through our
friends who keep us informed, we have to be accessed on that. But it is
clear that both from the time of the manner which the regime prevented
Aung San Suu Kyi to move out of Rangoon and to go and meet her supporters
and also that the entire international attention that has drawn to her
being detained in her car for several days. After this also, we have
learnt that there has been an escalation of the repression on the NLD
activities and leaders that have taken place which we think is a
repressive thing to happen and it is something we oppose outrightly. But
it is ultimately the strength of the Burmese people in the struggle
against such an authoritarian regime that will determine the success of
the movement. While the international solidarity movement, of course, is
an important aspect, we only wish that the Burmese people will mount a
greater stronger popular resistance to what is happening. But as far as
the repressive actions are concerned, that we outrightly condemned. We
think this is not the manner in which people's aspiration can be trampled
upon. 

Q: 	Aung San Suu Kyi has called for international support to what the
NLD is doing now. But there is no response from the Government of India
yet. What is your view on that?
A:	All of us are opposing this government tilt on the foreign policy
which actually goes against the consensual position of the people of India
that we always stood for liberty, democracy, freedom and of methods of
achieving them based on popular struggles. And I think the present
government's stand is unfortunate. We are taking this up in the
parliament, we are taking this up in various forum of the parliament and
in various committees that are there with the foreign ministry. So our
party is taking this up, but unfortunately as long as this government is
there, I think,  there will be a degree of isolation that is being
portrayed. That will continue. But I think a greater pressure on them will
have to be mounted even within India. And that is  something that our
party is doing. We think more and more parties should join in this
process. We think in the days to come the Government of India may be
forced to actually make a response.

Q:	What role India can play and should play in promoting democracy
and freedom in Burma and in the region?
A:	We think India has a very important role and a big role to play in
promoting or restoring democracy in Burma and also promoting peace and
security as well as freedom and equality in the entire region among the
various peoples. Because India traditionally has had a role to play in
this direction particularly since the period of decolonization that began.
And during the decades of '50s and '60s, India had an important  role in
actually garlonizing the peoples of the former colonies into coming and
having an independent status for themselves and deciding for themselves
how they will proceed. Now this role unfortunately has got derailed for
various reasons. Particularly during last six months, you will find that
tremendous retrovation in India as far as this role is concerned.
Specifically with Burma, today India  has had and continues to have its
close relation with Burma. In fact, during the colonial time, the links
with Burma were very very deep and very very strong. So we think that
there is even an emotional bound between the people in Burma and India.
That closeness is something that cannot really be erased so suddenly. So
India has both political as well as moral role to play in this struggle of
Burmese people currently for restoration of democracy and I think this is
the rightful role India should play. Indian people will have to pressurize
the government to move into right direction. And that is something that we
are doing.

Q:	 If you have massage for the Burmese people who have been under a
dictatorial regime for more than three decades, what would you like to
say?
A:	Only thing I would like to say first is that they are being very
heroically facing up the repression and struggling to establish what is
their own due right and that is to have a democratic system where
everybody whatever be the idea can flourish. And they can content in terms
of ideas but not in terms of arms and muscles power. That I think this is
a sort of society which any civilized society at the end of the 20th
century should be. So my first observation would be that the Burmese
people for their heroic and continued struggle that they are doing, they
have today earned the respect of many freedom lovers all over the world
and particularly in the country. Secondly, our only message is that one
should recollect that 20th century is witnessed to a lot of historical
events and one singular message that comes across the entire 20th century
is that for some time democracy can be trampled, for some time repressive
and authoritarian regimes can survive, but even Hitler could not really
survive. So the 20th century actually has shown that the spirit of
democracy, the spirit of freedom more than just democracy, the spirit of
liberation, the spirit of liberty is something that cannot be controlled
or that cannot be quelled for the long time to come. And that is the
direction of the history. So therefore victory will be with Burmese
people. But it is only a matter of time and the courage and determination
that is shown by the Burmese people will reduce that time.

The End .

By : MIZZIMA News Group
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