"I don't want to work for the military."
The other day I heard an uncomfortable remark by a foreigner who had spent time in Myanmar at meditation centers, and was keenly following the coup. He told me he wanted to support the people, but he didn’t want to be “political.” When I asked him what even constituted “political” in a situation where one side was enslaving and terrorizing the populace, his answer further surprised me: CDM, or the Civil Disobedience Movement. In other words, he regarded CDM as a political action, and by deciding to be a meditator who chose to avoid “politics”, he was leaving aside any engagement with the thousands of Burmese now trying to survive on CDM. Yet when you read accounts like the following, from a teacher in Karen state who has continued with her own CDM struggle (and who received a portion of living expenses from our donation fund), one cannot but realize how scarcely “political” this movement is, and how much it is about preserving some degree of human dignity and basic rights, and the enormous courage it takes to do so. If this teacher’s words resonate with you, please consider donating to our CDM campaign.
“I’m 27 and I have been working as a middle school teacher in Karen state. I joined CDM from the moment that the coup started because I don’t want to be working for the military. I don’t care the consequences, I refuse to ever serve these murderers. Under military rule, I won’t have opportunities, enjoy economic progress or have my full human rights. Nor will anyone else in this country. Another reason I joined CDM is because I want true democracy. At my school, 7 out of 14 are on strike. In my town, about 750 have been fired from their jobs. And we know that there’s more to come. Yet I believe we are making an impact on the military and their attempted rule. Their state mechanism is not working because of us! And they are having a hard time governing. Some workers are having a harder time than others and those CDM workers need the most help. Thank you for the support you have provided, and please continue to allow us to continue this movement so that we can have a proper education system which treats all students and teachers fairly, regardless of their background.”