A Two-Headed Monster

The Burmese cartoonist JMP releases this cartoon, depicting a beastly figure that is made half from a general's body, and half from a monk. The general holds a gun, while the monk holds a burning stick. Around them, one can see innocent Burmese civilians killed, with one soldier going off to further rampage a village.

Of all of JMP's social and religious commentaries towards Buddhist monks, I believe this is the one which most misses the mark. While it is certainly true that there are nationalist monks who have either implicitly or explicitly encouraged the military (see below), this cartoon sadly ignores just how many monks have risked their lives to support the democracy movement in way or another.

From the Mandalay monks who routinely protest in the street, to those monks secretly supporting CDM workers, to monasteries who have made their entire compound available for refugees whose village has burned down, to monastic supporters who have shifted their donations to IDP communities, I think JMP's disgust at the Sangha has crossed a line here, as it unfairly neglects the presence of brave monks (and nuns!) who are playing a critical, if unsung role.

This is not to deny JMP's right of free expression, just as this platform, and all other commentators, have the right of criticism towards that expression. JMP has done a powerful job of commenting on the realities in Myanmar since the coup. This includes Buddhist monks who do not have the best interests of the people at heart, but because one is hesitant to criticize a Bhikkhu, end up getting away with their bad deeds with a kind of impunity.

But going forward, I would hope that JMP could balance his courageous truth-telling by providing a more accurate picture of the Myanmar Sangha.