Feeding Sugar Cane to a Burmese Tiger
Nway expresses a complex and nuanced perspective on Aung San Suu Kyi. He acknowledges her significant role in representing the hopes and aspirations of the Burmese people, emphasizing that she is not corrupt and genuinely respects the population. Despite acknowledging her mistakes during her time in power, particularly regarding the handling of ethnic issues like the Rohingya crisis, he maintains that her integrity sets her apart from the military junta, which he views as inherently corrupt and oppressive. Nway highlights that many Burmese people support Aung San Suu Kyi not just because they adore her but because they perceive her as a leader who respects them, unlike the military, which treats civilians with disdain. He recognizes the need for strong leadership that embodies democratic values, and he believes that Aung San Suu Kyi has historically played a vital role in fostering this sense of respect and dignity among the people. However, he also critiques her approach to governance, suggesting that her reliance on negotiation with the military may have been misguided, as the military is not a reliable partner for dialogue. Listen to his full podcast episode here.
“What I disagreed with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi about is the way she tries to reconcile the military with her charisma and power.”
“Though I disagree with her on some matters, I have told you why Burmese people love Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi. She actually respects the people and she is not corrupted like the other political leaders Burma has seen in history. This fact is particularly important to note. For me, I see that Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi places a great deal of focus on people of Burma but she does not completely pinpoint the military as the sole systematic institutional group of people that are responsible for all the troubles Myanmar has been facing. The thing is if one were to solve problems in Myanmar, one must be honest and clearly understands how all the problems Myanmar has had, are singularly created by the military. When we held peace conference under the NLD rule between 2015 and 2020, everyone attended the event - Ethnic Armed Civil Society Organization (EROs), other political parties, media and the military. During discussions on problem-solving, nothing gets sorted out if the military is present in the room. Only when the military is absent during one of those meetings, we are able to derive solutions to some issues. Just from simple example of a meeting room, you can see that military is the problem.
What I disagreed with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi about is the way she tries to reconcile the military with her charisma and power. It seemed as if the military would follow her and everyone in Burma would get along again for the sake of a united country. This method is to completely ignore the wrongdoings of the military on every fight they brewed – religious upheavals, racial oppressions, civil wars in Rakhine and Karen states, Rohingya crisis.
If we look the Rohingya crisis and Muslim people in Myanmar, Burmese people and Muslim people have always co-existed in society. We may argue with one another, get angry and maybe, sometimes we hate each other. However, we still live together on the same land. This means Burmese people and the NLD never hated Muslim people! So, who hates them? The military. Specifically, the military uses Muslim people for their political gain. Looking at the whole picture, one can understand that you cannot be a political activist, a human rights activist nor be in civil society organizations if you cannot practically solve the problems. To practically solve the problem is to remove the root of the cause which is the military.
Meanwhile, what Daw Aung Snn Suu Kyi tried to do was handing a sugar cane to a tiger (e.g., the Burmese military). Again, we may disagree with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on some of her decisions, but we love her and support her. There are honest people but are disrespectful; there are respectful people but are corrupt. We believe that Aung Sann Suu Kyi is both honest and respectful towards the people of Myanmar.”