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Burma's PR democracy
by Thanos Kalamidas
2012-04-30 07:36:05 |
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The last two weeks I keep reading in the media about the enthusiasm all the nations show for the changes in Burma. US Foreign secretary Hillary Clinton visited the state, then it was the British PM and finally the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton. Photos and news’ videos all around with all of them walking in green gardens and enjoy tea with Aung San Suu Kyi. And Aung San Suu Kyi now a parliamentarian.
After fifty years of a devastating dictatorship, thousands of deaths, disappearances, kidnappings, tortures and the elimination of every opposition - Aung San Suu Kyi perhaps is the only leading opposition survivor – it took only one weekend to dismiss all. And suddenly one day we all woke up, we found out that Aung San Suu Kyi was at last parliamentarian and we found out that democracy had returned to Burma. Suddenly and in one morning all forgotten, the military – the reasoning and the responsible for all the deaths, torture, disappearances and kidnappings – became a moderate factor on the long way to democracy and we start thinking of holidays in the eastern paradise.
You know I’m actually wandering if the news have reached the Burma people. Remembering the videos and the photos that have found their way to our lives with a little help from the internet the last five years only, all the stories and the reports I’m sure that there is no family in that country that doesn’t mourn at least one dead. Only the wrong way of referring to the name of the dictator was enough to send you to meet your dead ancestors and any opposition act was enough to incriminate and then convict not only you but all your family and distance relatives to sixth degree; and now is all forgotten? Now we are all going to gather around the table and sing happy songs?
And of course the Noble Prize awarded Aung San Suu Kyi has lived the whole drama from inside with great personal sacrifices and it is natural to see hope ion every single light. The woman has seen everybody around her dying just because they spoke to her, she was in prison for decades, and she hasn’t even seen her own kids growing. When you move from a dark cell to a sun-lighten garden you consider that a huge step. A woman dedicated in her role of a martyr in the death row is happy with these changes, at least they stopped killing people or that’s what they say. But the rest of us?
Of course I’m not expecting anything better from Lady Ashton and the European Union under the contemporary circumstances. A union that indentifies its existence through its global economic position and depends its future into the survival of its currency human rights, right and wrong are small letters and Lady Ashton the best representative of a non-existence foreign policy. But what about US? If the change takes time and it comes from inside why did they invade Iraq? And would they dance around with Saddam if he had organized “democratic” elections and put in a “parliament” a couple of members of the opposition? Would that be enough for his to be a legitimate democrat?
Oh, of course I forgot the weapons of mass destruction but just count how many kids die every single day in America and Europe because of Burma’s WMD. The last fifty years the Burma army except killing, torturing and ruthlessly ruling has a side occupation – it’s like the old joke, the first is for pleasure the second is for the money – and it is drug growing and dealing and trafficking. And this hasn’t stop, the Burma army continues supplying drugs all around the world, the finest heroin among others. Trafficking and slavery is whole other story where opposition’s kids have found their way to a lot of houses all around the world like slaves or prostitutes. The country’s most profitable industry and the one who have kept the army alive and financially independent for so long. Burma’s army dictators are no different from any kind of mafia and drug dealing cartel, they just wear uniforms and they rule a country without politicians’ intermediates like it happens in other countries. And US with EU really believe that putting Aung San Suu Kyi into a puppet parliament – mainly controlled from former army and now politicians – is the way to democracy? If that is true then now we know what was Saddam’s mistake; bad PR!!!
Ovi+politics Burma Ovi_magazine Thanos_Kalamidas Ovi |
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