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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi address to Canadian government and friends of Burma
September, 1999
Canada is one of those countries which has a special place in my heart because it is very far away from Burma and yet consistently the people and the government of Canada have shown great concern for our struggle for democracy. Concern as well as sympathy. For that I would like to thank the people of Canada, the members of the Parliament of Canada and the Canadian government. It has been a very difficult time for us over the last 18 months. In this time, when the oppression of the military regime has increased, the support of our allies all over the world has meant a great deal to us. We have been encouraged and heartened by the consistent stand in favour of democratic change in Burma.
Canada is one of the strongest industrial nations in the world. The investment of Canadian firms in Burma is for this reason an important issue. The National League for Democracy supported the call for sanctions which started several years back after it became obvious that foreign investment was only benefiting the military authorities and their close allies. We do not think that investment in Burma at this time can do our country any good. It is not because the National League for Democracy is against business as such. It is not because we are against foreign investment. It is only because we do not think that the time and circumstances are right for investment. Investment made at the right time and in the right way could be of enormous benefit, not only to the people of Burma but to those who are investing Burma. But that time has not yet come. It is only when there is a democratic framework that allows the operation of a genuine market economy is in place that investment can be of benefit to both investors and to the people of country that the investment takes place.
As we are talking about the economy, I would also like to talk about an issue which is very closely linked to the everyday lives of the people of Burma. This is the question of drugs. As many of you are aware, Burma is the - well sometimes they say Afghanistan is now producing more opium than Burma. But on the whole, I think it is agreed that Burma produces more opium than any other country in the world. Not only that, in recent months the production of amphetamines in Burma has increased. The drugs that are produced in Burma are not only consumed by people in Burma but also by people all over the world. I'm sure that, drugs which originate in Burma have found their way to Canada as well. We are facing social problems connected with drug addiction in our country and so are the people of Canada and other countries of the world. In order to get rid of this great danger, we need a committed government; a government that is committed to the eradication of drugs; a government that will have no truck with drug traffickers; that is to say, a government that is accountable and responsible; A government that is the people's government. Only a government that is controlled by the people through regular democratic elections will be able to work for the good of the people. Only a government that has to account to the people for everything that it does will be able to rid Burma of this terrible problem of drug production and trade.
I'm sure that the people of Canada and the members of the Canadian parliament are as keen as we are to get on with the eradication of drugs in Burma. But it is important that we should go about it in the right way. To cooperate with organizations and groups which can do nothing about eliminating the real cause of the drug production in Burma would reap only very small short-term benefits. In order that we may eradicate drugs completely and that the problem of drug addiction in Burma as well as in the rest of the world may be dealt with effectively, we need in place good governance. Democracy is about good governance. Everything I say comes back to that democracy in Burma. The movement for democracy in Burma is working for many things. And at the same time, it is working for just a few things. If we were to detail all the effects that we expect from good governance in Burma it would be endless. And yet we could put it all down to a few basic facts. What we want is an accountable transparent government that would have to work for the good of the people. What we want is a system that ensures a healthy balance between freedom and security. With such a government and with such a system, we would have no trouble going about the eradication of opium production which does so much harm our people and to peoples all over the world.
I'd like to thank the members of the Canadian government for their support for our Committee representing Parliament. As many of you are aware, democratic elections took place in Burma - now it's 1999 - so that's nine years. Nine years ago democratic elections took place in Burma and still the results of the elections have not been honoured by the military authorities. By supporting our Committee representing parliament, you are supporting the process of democratization in Burma. I hope that you will strengthen your support and with your help, and with the strength and perseverance of our people we shall achieve our goal in the near future, within a short time, the shorter the better.
That we may achieve our goal in as short a time as possible, we would like to call upon our friends in Canada to help us and support us at this time, when support is very badly needed. Thank you.