Future of Myanmar lies with Aung San Suu Kyi

 
The Straits Time (SINGAPORE), 19-Oct-1995
I was shocked to read the article "Myanmar deserves more objective reassessment" (ST, Oct 14).
As a Myanmar citizen who witnessed a country which went from being among the richest in the region to the poorest in the whole world, I could not help wonder 
whether the author, Mr Michael Dobb-Higginson, knows the suffering of the Myanmar people.
The author tried to argue along these lines;
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spent 25 years abroad and does not really know the present day politics of Myanmar.
- She has no leadership experience and if she becomes a leader, she will be a failure like Mrs Aquino in the Philippines. She is popular because of her father - the late Gen-era! Aung San.
- The Myanmar government is organizing a National Con-vention and the main objective, "the military will play a primary role in future gov-ernment", Is acceptable.
- The performance of the present government, Slorc, (especially after 1992) is improving and is in the right direction but this never attracted media attention.
Not only Us Kyi but also millions ot Myanmar people have left the country since General Ne Win's rule began in 1962. Engineers, doctors and intellectuals who could afford to go abroad or who had con-tacts with the outside would do so to lead a decent life. These three decades are the darkest years of modern Myanmar his tory.
Young Suu Kyi went abroad with her mother, who was the ambassador in India at that time. She needed education and of course she needed to stay away from a mess about which she could do nothing.
Mr Dobbs-Higginson said Suu Kyi earned her popularity because of her late father, Gen Aung San. It is quite true that people love her because she is our Bogyok's daughter. But when she came back to Myanmar in 1988, as she did almost every year for the Martyr's flay ceremony, she was not given the leadership role automatically.
At that time, nobody including U Nu, Prime Min-ister, and U Aung Gyi, one of her father's close comrades, realised that she had the potential to be a good leader.
It was when she organised her National league for Democracy party, when she walked in front of a soldier with a loaded gun and Instructed him to Shoot, when she brought her party to victory in the election that she established herself as a leader. Only after numerous speeches, numerous inter-views and deeds of enormous courage was she recognised as the undisputed leader of our country. The future of Myanmar without Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is unthinkable.
"Past experience" is not a necessary requirement to be a good leader. Rajiv Gandhi and hundreds of other examples from history can be drawn. There were many who per formed well in office without much experience in politics be fore. All that counts is how competent a person is and how his country follows his leader ship. Also, it is not a guarantee that experienced people can solve the problems of a nation like Myanmar, which has been without a real leader for mainly four decades.
If we have to follow Mr Dobbs-Hlgginson's advice and rely on a leader from among experienced army generals' Myanmar will be the Same for another millennium.
The author tried to argue that Myanmar should wait for the new Constitution being drawn up by 100 delegates from all walks of life. He seems to forget that then were elected representative' In the 1990 general election.
Instead of asking them to draw up the Constitution, the military government hand picked delegates from among their yes-men and tried to have a Constitution which would guarantee the army's role. But the people of Myanmar showed in 1988 that they did not want army rule because they knew very well how the army behaved when it had power.
The author complained that there was less media attention for the present government ministers in Myanrmar. As a matter of fact, their present Slorc government in. Myanmar has no legitimacy in the first place. It was not supposed to be there since its mandate was out after the 1990 election.
As the author has pointed out, the country may not ta ready for Western type democracy. But we need at least a proficient leader in which the people have confidence.
I was disappointed by Mr Dobbs-Higginson's failure to mention the importance of dialogue between Suu Kyi and the government. It will be stupid to ignore the fact that all over the world from South Africa, Russia to Israel and its Arab neighbours, people sought dialogue and eventual-ly solved their problems. Why not in Myanmar?
All Aung San Suu Kyl was asking for is meaningful dia-logue. She did not ask for a transfer of power right away.

 U THEIN HTAY

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