Channel 4 News
March 29, 2013
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Two years ago, Burma’s military junta
stepped down, handing the keys to a softly spoken soldier called Thein
Sein.
The newly installed president promised an orderly transition from pariah state to democracy – and what a great story it was.
Government ministers began to dismantle the architecture of the
authoritarian state – the release and recent election of long-time
dissident, Aung San Suu Kyi served as headline events. In the process,
President Sein won the heartfelt thanks of his people – and the
admiration of much of the international community.
Yet this transition has unleashed forces that the country’s leaders are struggling to control.
They currently find themselves in the midst a national emergency – a
firestorm of ethnic hatred between Buddhists and Muslims in central
parts of the country. Over the last week or so, 40 people have been
confirmed dead and 12,000 Muslims have been forced to flee their homes –
and the violence is edging closer to the country’s largest city,
Rangoon.
Last night Thein Sein went on national television to plead with his
people; “We must rise above sixty years of historical bitterness,
confrontational approaches, and a zero-sum attitude in solving our
differences,” he said. There was more to this than a simple call for
calm – the country’s transitional leader was threatening to bring back
the army. “In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve
problems. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to
protect the lives and safeguard the property of general public.”
Commentators have blamed much of the trouble on the relaxation of social
controls. People are largely free to say what they want in Burma,
whether it is in the press or online, and this freedom has been used to
whip up sectarian and ethnic tensions.
More importantly however, the crisis has also been caused by a lack of
leadership at the top – the unwillingness of people like President Sein
and Aung San Suu Kyi to take a clear ethical and political position when
other Muslim groups – like the Rohingya – were being burnt out of their
homes last year in Burma’s north-east.
Some 200 Rohingya were killed last year and 120,000 now live in squalid
camps in Rakhine State. Prevented from working or travelling, many
thousands have tried to escape in rickety fishing boats – an option that
serves only the desperate.
In response, the government and Burma’s political opposition have looked
the other way. President Sein suggested deportation as a “solution”:
“We will send (the Rohingya) away if any third country would accept
them.” It was an incredible – and barely credible proposal – no other
country would accept the one million Rohingya who live Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi refused to get involved, arguing simply that “both
sides are to blame” and urging a “return to the rule of law”.
However, in their actions and their statements both leaders have failed
to lead. They have failed to check and challenge long-standing
prejudices and enmities that exist in Burma – stirred up in part by the
military generals who have now departed the scene – and they have failed
to paint and sell an inclusive notion of Burmese citizenship to every
member of this multi-ethnic and religious population.
Perhaps they are starting to get the message now. Last week, Ms Suu Kyi
told reporters that that she viewed the most recent bout of violence,
“as a threat for the whole country as it can spread easily.” President
Sein found room in his speech last night to say this: “it is our firm
belief that an inclusive democratic society based on equality for all
citizens will ensure peace and stability, especially in our country made
up of various ethnic nationalities, religious beliefs, and cultures.”
Despite the hope and optimism that most people feel for this nation, its
leaders and its institutions are proving weak and ineffectual – and the
cost of continuing failure could be dire.
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