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NUDGE BURMA TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
VOICING MY THOUGHTS/AUNG SAN SUU KYI
13.7.99/THE NATION
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAS URGED THE FOREIGN COMMUNITY, AND IN PARTICULAR ASEAN, TO DO MORE TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF BURMA.
RANGOON - The democratisation process in Burma can be accelerated if the international community - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), in particular increases pressure on the military regime.
The junta continues to frustrate the will of the people by refusing to honour the results of the 1990 parliamentary elections, which the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide (obtaining 392 of the 485 parliamentary seats).
Human rights activists and many NLD members and supporters are languishing in Burmese jails while the junta, which calls itself the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), continues to harass, intimidate and repress pro-democracy advocates.
We in the opposition cannot allow any authoritarian government to hijack the elections and are determined to continue with our struggle.
We believe that support from Asean - which comprises Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos and Vietnam and which Burma recently joined - is crucial to our quest for democracy.
If Asean can persuade or put pressure on the present regime to convene the Parliament that was elected by the people, this could be the first step towards democratisation.
While some countries are very active in helping hasten this process, the Asean countries are not. Indeed, quite a few Asean governments - though not the public - justify not helping by invoking the argument that democracy is a Western concept and that Asian values must be upheld.
We do not accept the notion that democracy is a Western value. To the contrary, democracy simply means good government rooted in responsibility, transparency, and accountability. No authoritarian system can assure good government because there is no accountability. The government can get away with whatever it does.
Asean also invokes the principle of non-interference 'with the internal affairs of member-countries, though not with a clear conscience. Rather, they are afraid that there may be some aspects of their countries that might invite criticism. Our position is that if they have problems that invite legitimate criticism, let there be criticism. If not, they have nothing to fear.
Because of its policy of non-interference, Asean has rejected calls from other governments outside the region to nudge the Burmese government into allowing greater freedom for its people.
Instead, it has opted for a non-confrontational"constructive engagement" stance in relation to Rangoon. This has not worked.
This policy of non-interference is just an excuse for not helping. In this day and age, you cannot avoid interference in the matters of other countries.
For example, many Asean countries are investing in Burma. Is that not interference in our internal affairs? How can they say they will get involved in economic matters but not in politics.
Economics and politics are unquestionably closely related.
Foreign investment has provided Burma's military junta with legitimacy and propped up the regime. Among Asean countries Indonesia is the biggest investor in Burma and was its strongest supporter during the time the military regime sought international respectability through gaining admission into Asean. It is time for a new initiative on the part of the Asean members to impress on the junta the need to open a dialogue with the NLD.
Asean members must recognise that it is the military regime that is being inflexible and not the NLD, as the government's propaganda asserts. We have bent over backwards to make dialogue possible.
But the military regime does not want dialogue because they think that dialogue would be the beginning of the end for them. That would not be the case, because real dialogue should be acceptable and beneficial to everybody, including the military regime.
The military's current position of simply clinging to power by instilling fear among the people through force is not good for the country or for them. A negotiated settlement is a far better option for everyone.
Aung San Suu Kyi