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Mizzima: The Unkept Promises

Subject: Mizzima: The Unkept Promises
From: mizzima@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 22:51:00

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The Unkept Promises

By Kanbawza Win, April 6, 2001
Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com)

? Hope for the Best but Prepare for the Worst? is the unforgotten
speech given by our beloved leader Bogyoke Aung San when he came to
London to negotiate for independence of the Union of Burma. The speech
implies that if we cannot achieve it by peaceful negotiations we will
have to fight for it. Today this would also apply to all the ethnic
forces in Burma who are at odds with the Burmese military Junta.
Currently the secret negotiations between the pro democracy movement led
by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the military Junta has left out the ethnic
forces. If the Myanmar race, both democratic and undemocratic forces
construe the Non-Myanmar as an excess baggage that must be accepted as a
necessary evil then the Burmese problem will never be solved. Their
actions seem to indicate a Burmese saying ?Ka Lae Dwe Tait Tait Ne, Lu
Gyi Dwe Sa Gar Pyaw Nae Dae? meaning, ?Hey you little fellows keep quiet
while we adult are seriously talking?. The nature of the so-called
?Secret Negotiations? is a clear indication that there is something to
hide from the public. If that is the case, then the ethnic groups will
have to conclude that as the 1947 Constitution was torn up by the
Burmese Junta in 1962 and obliterated up the Panglong Agreement then the
ethnic groups have no obligation whatsoever to the Union. Hence fighting
the Myanmar Tatmadaw (army) is amounted to legitimate war against an
occupying force (for the past decade they have behave in such a manner)
and cannot be construed as a civil war.

The very fact that the negotiations are bilateral and not tri-larteral
underline the fact that the Myanmar tribe, which is a much stronger,
more numerous and resourceful and dominating tribe, wants to rough ride
shod over the ethnic groups. The writing on the wall exhibit clearly
that major decisions will be made between a Myanmar and a Myanmar, and
later these discussion will be expended to the ethnic forces for them to
decide either to take it or leave it. This ?carrot and stick tactic?
denotes that a Myanmar does not treat a non-Myanmar as an equal but of a
lower level people who are at their beck and call. Of course the
democratic Myanmar will be magnanimous and on paper at least, will treat
the ethnic races as equal. In other words, the ethnic groups will be at
the whims and the fancy of the Myanmar leaders.

This has been the case since the inception of the Union of Burma when
the Karens has no choice but were forced to fight. Then the Mon, Kachin,
Shan, Karenni, Arakanese and Chin followed, not to mention the much
smaller tribes as the Pa O, Palaung, Tavoynians Rohingys, etc . Today
there is no single tribe or ethnic group that has not taken up arm or is
still fighting against the Myanmar tribe. Burmese chauvinism and
xenophobia run deep into their veins. Until and unless there is cetena,
(goodwill) love and sincerity by the Myanmar towards the non Myanmar as
showed by our beloved leader Bogyoke Aung San, we cannot visualize a
final solution. The Panglong Agreement and the 1947 constitution drawn
up under the supervision of Bogyoke Aung San has been trampled upon by
the Burmese Tatmadaw dominated by the Myanmar tribe.

A barometer reading of the Junta?s current attitude towards the ethnic
forces can be clearly seen in the military offensives against the Karens
and the Shans. Their superb diplomacy of ?divide and rule ? which
translates into ?let the ethnic forces fight the ethnic forces? e.g. Wa
fighting the Shan, Karen Buddhist fighting the Karen Christians and so
on, harkened back even to the Burmese democratic days when the Kachin
and the Chins were recruited to fight the Karen. In fact it was the Chin
forces that defended Rangoon from the Karen who were in the suburbs of
Rangoon now called Insein. How many of the Chins and Kachins have laid
down their lives in defense of the Union of Burma only to be changed to
the chauvinism name of Myanmar. Currently how are the Chin and Kachin
being treated? Do the Myanmar respect their culture and religious
beliefs? How many times have the Myanmar negotiated with these ethnic
groups and how many times have they betrayed or swindled them?

Of course there are several Myanmar who have not approved the
proceedings of those in power. They have identified with the ethnic
forces and fought shoulder to shoulder with their ethnic brethren,
especially the students and the young generation who were forced to flee
for their lives in 1988. The ethnic groups welcomed them with open arms
seeing theses young Myanmar like them being persecuted. This also proved
that the ethnic groups are not at all racist but simply fighting the
Junta and chauvinism. These Myanmar understand more about their ethnic
brethren than those who are in Rangoon who are at the helm of the
administration. Why are these Myanmar left out of the negotiations?

The treatment by the Myanmar of the non-Myanmar for half a century or so
since the inception of modern Burma has guaranteed that no ethnic leader
will trust the Myanmar. This is now being reinforced by the current
?Secret Negotiations? which deliberately leave out the ethnic groups.
Autonomous regions, self determination, and federalism are the words
anathema to the Myanmar under the pretext of dismemberment the Union.
But the fact is that these attitude covers up the truth, liberty,
equality and fraternity.

The ethnic groups together with the people of Burma and the world have
been left in the dark. Why? Is the fate of the 47 million Burmese people
to be decided only by two persons alone, Khin Nyunt and Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi? We have heard about the nature of these negotiation via foreign
media only. No announcement or communique has been released. Naturally
speculations are rife. Will the blood thirsty Narco-Generals be given
impunity in return for an interim civilian government?

Not that we don?t have faith in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Nor do we want
revenge over the evil generals but the very fact that important
conditions are agreed upon behind our backs indicate that the situation
is equivalent to the Burmese saying, ?Say Yar Thwa; Khaing Da Loke; Pyan
Ma Pyaw Ne? meaning ?go where you are directed and implement as told and
don?t talk back?. Why is the culture of silence imposed on us? Is it a
Myanmar way or a Myanmar mentality? We are very much bewildered. If we
don?t know the causes, nature and extent of the gross violations of
human rights which the Generals are still committing how can the truth
be known, not to mention achieving of national reconciliation. We should
also remember that the granting of de facto acceptance of impunity for
those holding political, military or economic power erodes the very
basis of the social order and helps to nurture a culture of violence.

Drawing from the experience of South Africa, it has been found that
there is an existential need of the victim to break out of a situation
of silence, isolation, fear and falsehood. To know the truth, to recover
a shared memory and thus to restore human dignity for the victims and
accountability for the perpetrators are MUSTS. We would very much like
to find out or how whether this compatible with so called ?Secret
Negotiations??

Without an intentional attempt to create a space where the stories of
humiliation and suffering can be told, where the truth can emerge and
collective remembrance restored, the search for justice will continue to
divide the community rather than re-establish relationships and
contribute to a process of healing. How can forced labour, forced
relocation, systematic torture, disappearances, extra-judicial killing,
raping of women and children continue even as the ?Secret Negotiations?
are going on. Why have the Myanmar so stubbornly refused to learn the
lessons of the recent past and all this continue to occur?

More often than not, we hear the response, ?Forget the past, the dead
cannot come to life and turn your eyes to the future building of a
nation.? This simplistic answer, so easily offered by those who have
something to hide, has no healing power. It leaves no room for
reconciliation. Until and unless the truth is told, unless the criminals
are held accountable, or unless those directly responsible and their
accomplice confess their guilt, ask for forgiveness and give concrete
signs of repentance, there can be no justice and therefore no healing of
society. No body in Burma would want to repeat the errors of the past,
trapped in cycles of retributive violence. The people yearn for
transformation. And this transformation could start with the opening up
of the so-called ?Secret Negotiations?. The people of Burma including
the ethnic groups have suffered too much from the unkept promises could
be spared from experiencing evil wars and bitterness.

(The author is a visiting Professor at the Faculty of International
Development Studies, University of Winnipeg Cum Research Fellow at the
University of Manitoba at the Institute of Humanities, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada)

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<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>

<center>The Unkept Promises</center>

By Kanbawza
Win, April 6, 2001
 Mizzima News Group (<a href="http://www.mizzima.com";>www.mizzima.com</a>)
&nbsp;? Hope for the Best but Prepare&nbsp;
for the&nbsp; Worst? is the unforgotten speech given by our beloved
leader Bogyoke Aung San when he came to London to negotiate for independence
of the&nbsp; Union of Burma. The speech implies that if we cannot achieve
it by peaceful negotiations we will have to fight for it. Today this would
also apply to all the ethnic forces in Burma who are at odds with the Burmese
military Junta. Currently the secret negotiations between the pro democracy
movement led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the military Junta has left out
the ethnic forces. If the Myanmar race, both democratic and undemocratic
forces construe the Non-Myanmar as an excess baggage that must be accepted
as a necessary evil then the Burmese problem will never be solved. Their
actions seem to indicate a Burmese saying ?Ka Lae Dwe Tait Tait Ne,
Lu Gyi Dwe Sa Gar Pyaw Nae Dae? meaning, ?Hey you little fellows keep
quiet while we adult are seriously talking?. The nature of the so-called
?Secret
Negotiations? is a clear indication that there is something to hide
from the public. If that is the case, then the ethnic groups will have
to conclude that as the 1947 Constitution was torn up by the Burmese Junta
in 1962 and obliterated up the Panglong Agreement then the ethnic groups
have no obligation whatsoever to the Union. Hence fighting the Myanmar
Tatmadaw
(army) is amounted to legitimate war against an occupying force (for the
past decade they have behave in such a manner) and cannot be construed
as a civil war.
The very fact that the negotiations are bilateral and
not tri-larteral underline the fact that the Myanmar tribe, which is a
much stronger, more numerous and resourceful and dominating tribe, wants
to rough ride shod over the ethnic groups. The writing on the wall exhibit
clearly that major decisions will be made between a Myanmar and a Myanmar,
and later these discussion will be expended to the ethnic forces for them
to decide either to take it or leave it. This ?carrot and stick tactic?
denotes that a Myanmar does not treat a non-Myanmar as an equal but of
a lower level people who are at their beck and call. Of course the democratic
Myanmar will be magnanimous and on paper at least, will treat the ethnic
races as equal. In other words, the ethnic groups will be at the whims
and the fancy of the Myanmar leaders.
This has been the case since the inception of the Union
of Burma when the Karens has no choice but were forced to fight. Then the
Mon, Kachin, Shan, Karenni, Arakanese and Chin followed, not to mention
the much smaller tribes as the Pa O, Palaung, Tavoynians Rohingys, etc
. Today there is no single tribe or ethnic group that has not taken up
arm or is still fighting against the Myanmar tribe. Burmese chauvinism
and xenophobia run deep into their veins. Until and unless there is&nbsp;
cetena, (goodwill) love and sincerity by the Myanmar towards the non Myanmar
as showed by our beloved leader Bogyoke Aung San, we cannot visualize a
final solution. The Panglong Agreement and the 1947 constitution drawn
up under the supervision of Bogyoke Aung San has been trampled upon by
the Burmese Tatmadaw dominated by the Myanmar tribe.
A barometer reading of the Junta?s current attitude towards
the ethnic forces can be clearly seen in the military offensives against
the Karens and the Shans. Their superb diplomacy of&nbsp; ?divide and
rule ? which translates into ?let the ethnic forces fight the ethnic
forces? e.g. Wa fighting the Shan, Karen Buddhist fighting the Karen
Christians and so on, harkened back even to the Burmese democratic days
when the Kachin and the Chins were recruited to fight the Karen. In fact
it was the Chin forces that defended Rangoon from the Karen who were in
the suburbs of Rangoon now called Insein. How many of the Chins and Kachins
have laid down their lives in defense of the Union of Burma only to be
changed to the chauvinism&nbsp; name of Myanmar. Currently how are the
Chin and Kachin&nbsp; being treated? Do the Myanmar respect their culture
and religious beliefs?&nbsp; How many times have the Myanmar negotiated
with these ethnic groups and how many times have they betrayed or swindled
them?
Of course there are several Myanmar who have not approved
the proceedings of those in power. They have identified with the ethnic
forces and fought shoulder to shoulder with their ethnic brethren, especially
the students and the young generation who were forced to flee for their
lives in 1988. The ethnic groups welcomed them with open arms seeing theses
young Myanmar like them being persecuted. This also proved that the ethnic
groups are not at all racist but simply fighting the Junta and chauvinism.
These Myanmar understand more about their ethnic brethren than those who
are in Rangoon who are at the helm of the administration. Why are these
Myanmar left out of the negotiations?
The treatment by the Myanmar of the non-Myanmar for half
a century or so since the inception of modern Burma has guaranteed that
no ethnic leader will trust the Myanmar. This is now being reinforced by
the current ?Secret Negotiations? which deliberately leave out the
ethnic groups. Autonomous regions, self determination, and federalism are
the words anathema to the Myanmar under the pretext of dismemberment the
Union. But the fact is that these attitude covers up the truth, liberty,
equality and fraternity.
The ethnic groups together with the people of Burma and
the world have been left in the dark. Why? Is the fate of the 47 million
Burmese people to be decided only by two persons alone, Khin Nyunt and
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi? We have heard about the nature of these negotiation
via foreign media only. No announcement or communique has been released.
Naturally speculations are rife. Will the blood thirsty Narco-Generals
be given impunity in return for an interim civilian government?
Not that we don?t have faith in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Nor do we want revenge over the evil generals but the very fact that important
conditions are agreed upon behind our backs indicate that the situation
is equivalent to the Burmese saying, ?Say Yar Thwa; Khaing Da Loke;
Pyan Ma Pyaw Ne? meaning ?go where you are directed and implement as
told and don?t talk back?. Why is the culture of silence imposed on us?
Is it a Myanmar way or a Myanmar mentality? We are very much bewildered.&nbsp;
If we don?t know the causes, nature and extent of the gross violations
of human rights which the Generals are still committing how can the truth
be known, not to mention achieving of national reconciliation. We should
also remember that the granting of de facto acceptance of impunity
for those holding political, military or economic power erodes the very
basis of the social order and helps to nurture a culture of violence.
Drawing from the experience of South Africa, it has been
found that there is an existential need of the victim to break out of a
situation of silence, isolation, fear and falsehood. To know the truth,
to recover a shared memory and thus to restore human dignity for the victims
and accountability for the perpetrators are MUSTS. We would very
much like to find out or how whether this compatible with so called ?Secret
Negotiations??
Without an intentional attempt to create a space where
the stories of humiliation and suffering can be told, where the truth can
emerge and collective remembrance restored, the search for justice will
continue to divide the community rather than re-establish relationships
and contribute to a process of healing. How can forced labour, forced relocation,
systematic torture, disappearances, extra-judicial killing, raping of women
and children continue even as the ?Secret Negotiations? are going
on. Why have the Myanmar so stubbornly refused to learn the lessons of
the recent past and all this continue to occur?
More often than not, we hear the response, ?Forget
the past, the dead cannot come to life and turn your eyes to the future
building of a nation.? This simplistic answer, so easily offered by
those who have something to hide, has no healing power. It leaves no room
for reconciliation. Until and unless the truth is told, unless the criminals
are held accountable, or unless those directly responsible and their accomplice
confess their guilt, ask for forgiveness and give concrete signs of repentance,
there can be no justice and therefore no healing of society. No body in
Burma would want to repeat the errors of the past, trapped in cycles of
retributive violence. The people yearn for transformation. And this transformation
could start with the opening up of the so-called ?Secret Negotiations?.
The people of Burma including the ethnic groups have suffered too much
from the unkept promises could be spared from experiencing evil
wars and bitterness.
(The author is a visiting Professor at the Faculty
of International Development Studies, University of Winnipeg Cum Research
Fellow at the University of Manitoba at the Institute of Humanities, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada)
&nbsp;</html>

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