Pauk Ko Daw Sayadaw's Foray into Politics
We have received the following essay submission from a contributor who has requested anonymity due to safety concerns.
“It was also strange to see that Pauk Sayadaw made this speech publicly in Pyin Oo Lwin, the military stronghold town.”
Recently on January 16, the so-called Pauk Sayadaw urged the coup junta’s chief Min Aung Hlaing to resign his Chief-In-Commander position to the Vice Senior General Soe Win, in an assembly of the pro-military and Ma-Ba-Tha monks (the organization of pro-military and ultranationalist monks) in Pyin Oo Lwin. About 6,000 pro-military USDP party members and ultranationalist monks gathered for a pro-military rally and holding the posters written the slogans against the action of a soldier who was damaging a pagoda in Lukkai, from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), one of the three EAOs which attacked Myanmar junta forces in the Northern Shan State.
Ashin Ariyawuntha, also known as Pauk Ko Daw, from the stage asked the audience, “Isn’t it good for the Chief-in-Commander (referring to Min Aung Hlaing) to take a civilian ministerial post only?” The audience responded, “That's great!”
He said again, “If he took so, you would ask me who would take the Chief-in-Commander post. We have Vice Senior General Soe Win.” The audience shouted in consent with his words.
He continued, “Look at his facial expressions. Isn't he soldierly? Look at his performance. Isn't it soldierly? Don't you like him?” The crowd agreed in response. He emphasized and concluded, “So, give the Chief-in-Commander post to Vice Sr. General. To whom? Then, give the civilian post to who?” A woman shouted, “To the Great Sponsor!” Pauk Sayadaw repeated, “Give it to the Great Sponsor!” The term was used to joke at Min Aung Hlaing and to criticize at his weak performance which the northern parts of Shan State were seized by the Three-Brothers-Alliance Forces, the EAOs.
We witnessed the full video of his speech which was uploaded by Pauk Ko Daw himself on his Facebook page. Followed by the news that he was briefly detained and questioned by authorities two days later and then he was released on the same day. He also broadcasted a Facebook Live video saying that he didn't think what he said was wrong because he spoke out for the soldiers, the country and religion.
After his calls for Min Aung Hlaing to resign his Chief-In-Commander post, it hit both the communities of pro-military and pro-democrats. As far as we looked around, there were many different comments by both parties on social media. Many people commented that it was just a psywar of the junta to delude them so they just agreed with the post changes within the army and to speed down the spring revolution somehow: wherein the resistance forces (people’s defense forces including the EAOs) keep on the common goal which the Myanmar military wholely quit the national leadership.
However, we checked the perspectives of the pro-military lobbies and distinct nationalist monks on social media. Most of them were angry with the losses of many areas in Northern Shan State and the surrenders of the military troops there and in Lukkai. Most of them publicly expressed their opinion on this desperate situation of the military, “Three years is enough, U Min Aung Hlaing!” They questioned his leadership of the military pointing out at the surrenders of several soldiers during the war with the Chinese-backed EAOs as they said.
This situation was apparent to the public after the Pauk Ko Daw’s public revealment in the said gathering of 6,000 pro-military wherein they all sounded that they agreed with him. In their social media and Telegram channels, they wrote that the gathering consisted of 3200 participants including the nationalist monks, retired soldiers, USDP party members, quarters’ and villages’ administrative governors, plus the administrative heads of 100 households and the military lovers. [We saw the pro-military people gathering in front of our quarter’s governor office and the trucks preparing (flying the Myanmar national flags and the Myanmar Buddhism flags used by Ma-Ba-Tha) to go to the gathering point in the town center on that morning of January 16.] In this gathering, Pauk Ko Daw was surrounded by other distinct ultranationalist monks named Thu Saitta (Sucaitta, alternatively in Roman Pali), Pandita, and they are the second generation of Ma-Ba-Tha (the ultranationalist and anyi-muslim military-backed association).
Also, it is known that the Pauk Sayadaw is the close disciple of U Wirathu, the world-notorious anti-Muslim extremist monk.
Despite that there were different comments about his speech, it truly seemed that the junta's chief did not dare to provoke the angers of the supporters of Pauk Ko Daw Sayadaw, against their dissatisfaction with his military performance, especially in Northern Shan State, because he was just briefly summoned by the authorities and released on the same day. We also witnessed the Facebook posts written by his supporters and other nationalist monks such as Thu Saitta, that angrily said they would come around the police station if they didn't release him by the evening. It was also strange to see that he made this speech publicly in Pyin Oo Lwin, the military stronghold town.
Obviously, it was followed by growing calls for Min Aung Hlaing to resign from the Chief-in-Commander post. However, in another hand, there are opposite perspectives believing that this is just a psywar to find or create an exit for the junta but Myanmar people are wise.