Times of transition breed uncertainty
12.6.97
The Nation
Aung San Suu KyiThe process of significant change from one state to another is often fraught with difficulties. In Burma, we tend to attribute vague, unidentifiable sicknesses with seasonal change. People generally feel ill at ease and uncomfortable in these in between periods where everything from the temperature to the state of their bones seem uncertain. How much more unsettling it must be during periods of social and political transition.
Burma is supposed to have started the transition from a one-party socialist authoritarian state to a democratic society eight years ago. Leaving aside for the moment the question of whether or not we have made any progress along this path we can certainly confirm that all the difficulties and more associated with times of transition are being experienced in our country.
There is uncertainty about matters to which people would not give a second thought in normal societies. For example, schoolchildren, university students and their parents all over Burma are waiting to hear when the "summer vacation" will come to an end. Some universities have been closed since the student demonstrations of early December last year.
As for the schools which closed for their usual summer holidays at the beginning of March, the new term was meant to have started at the beginning of this month. But for some reason there has not yet been any indication as to when this new term will begin.
As an added complication there are rumours that the colour of the children's uniform, which is known as "school green", might well be changed. There is some speculation as to whether the new colour is to be blue or purple (blue i s considered to be the safer bet). One wonders whether such decisions are based on esthetics, politics or astrology. None of this helps to alleviate the confusion of the people who are already uncertain of the road ahead of them.
The subject of inflation is both tedious and irresistible. A housewife comes back from the bazaar muttering a litany of the price rises that have taken place since the last shopping expedition which could have been as recent as the previous day.
It does not make for security to be unable to calculate your daily household expenses. Perhaps the only ones who have received a temporary respite from the worry of inflation are the school children who do not for the moment have to haggle with their parents over the pocket money they need.
In Rangoon, a decent school lunch costs the equivalent of the average daily pay earned by the lowest-ranking civil servant. This makes the fact that some families of state employees can still manage to send their children to school a near miracle.
But, of course, most people are aware that this, is more the age of bribery and corruption than of miracles because our civil servants are obliged to supplement their official income to make ends meet.
Burmese Buddhists talk constantly of annica, the law of impermanence. Nothing is forever, everything is in a process of change. But it would be so much more bearable if that change could be a smooth journey rather than a series of rough leaps and bounds across precarious terrain.
While accepting that nothing is permanent it would still be nice to think that electricity supply is more, rather than less, permanent and lights can be turned on at the flick of a switch. The erratic nature of our electricity supply may confirm the basic fact of life that we cannot take anything for granted. But it certainly doesn't make life any easier.
It came as a surprise-to many Burmese people when the' power failure in Kuala Lumpur last year was considered news of international importance. We reckon that if every time there was a power failure in Rangoon and it had to be reported in the newspapers there would not be much room for other news items.
The unreliability of our electricity supply is nothing new - it was very much a part of Burma under socialism. But according to some people, the element of unpredictability has increased since the frequently proclaimed transition to what is said to be a free market economy. We all feel vulnerable when the process of change is not cushioned by the necessary mechanism to take away some pains of adjustment.
Aung San Suu Kyi
