One of the icons of democratic voice is jailed Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for more than 15 years, and even though the Junta denounces her as a "foreign puppet", she has become a voice for peace and non-violence, having been awarded the Nobel peace prize laureate.
In the global play of politics, Burma became independent from Britain in 1948, but democracy did not last long and soon a military coup under general Ne Win filled the political void for almost a quarter of a century. In 1988, after the military government violently repressed demonstrations where hundreds of people were killed, there was an internal coup within the party. Multi-party elections were held in 1988 where Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide, but the unfortunate outcome was that the dictatorship refused to hand over power.
For the last twenty years or so, the military dictatorship has run the country into the ground economically and socially - the average life expectancy (as of 1995) is around 60 years old and the infant mortality rate is 62/1,000 births. There's no reasonable expectation that the standard of living has improved since then.
Political repression in Myanmar has immersed this country in decades of fear, and violent repression. Most of Aung San Suu Kyi's political party members are either in jail or in hiding - many Western countries have imposed sanctions for decades but all to little or no detriment to the government itself.
These last protests are a sign of growing internal unrest and poverty in Myanmar - recent protests were initially sparked by a 500 per cent increase in fuel prices but have steadily grown into nation wide peace protests, despite the growing threat by the Junta to use increasing force.
Maroon Monks
Myanmar is a devout Buddhist country, and monks are an important part of it's social and religious fabric. They are deeply respected and revered by the people as well as the military, as an example of morality and non-violence. Monks in Myanmar are of the Theravada tradition and daily they do their rounds, visiting people's homes asking for alms, offering spiritual and psychological guidance to people in need in the form of teachings and prayers - their role in Myanmar permeates every facet of life.
The recent protests were all led by thousands of maroon monks in various parts of the country, a powerful display that these very important people in Myanmar's social fabric are taking action and leading the charge. During these initial protests, bystanders cheered them on and offered them water and food, in other cases they joined in, no doubt fearful of being eventually targeted by the military.
The role of Buddhist monks might lead to the salvation of Myanmar - their marches and protests have gone largely unopposed by the government, even "allowing" Aung San Suu Kyi to meet a group of monks who came to her home. In such a devout country, even the soldiers out of superstition or some understanding know that bringing harm to monks is like bringing harm to the conscience of Myanmar, of all living beings, to put it colorfully. What then, can be said if monks were indeed repressed violently, of the reaction of the civilian population? It is veritably unthinkable to consider from their point of view and protests, if not a full outright revolution, will take place.
That is a major reason why the Junta has been tip-toeing around these protests, giving the monks some lee-way, "threatening" them with force, demanding their religious seniors to end their protests. They are fully aware that any kind of violent crackdown will only intensify the protests, rallying the general population into a full blown revolution. Already the Alliance of Burmese Buddhist Monks have declared they will "wipe the military dictatorship from the land" and that the military Junta is the "enemy of the people".
The last protest in Rangoon was reported to be between 50,000 to 100,000 people, led by thousands of maroon monks chanting for democracy and a return to reconciliation. In one instance, the military shot over the heads of the monks but there is obviously great tension now as the Junta has been backed into a corner. With the attention of the international community, specifically China, it is in a difficult position.
My Personal Take
In a country that has been more or less forgotten by the West, here is a spark of hope for everyone who appreciates the freedom of speech, movement and religion as the cornerstone of all internal and external prosperity. It is impossible not to wish for these thousands upon thousands of men and women in maroon and their civilian counter-parts to succeed in their efforts. At this point, one way or another, there is no turning back and the path to a new Rangoon has been set.
Democracy through peaceful means in Myanmar will be a beacon for the whole world, and who better to lead the way than those who have worked their entire lives to transform the inner causes of suffering, namely, fear and hatred. There is a great hope in my mind because even though these thousands of monks are surely afraid, I have no doubt they are more afraid for their country, of the continuing poverty and suffering. Now that they are empowered by this great energy of change, only change can be the end result.
For those of us who enjoy all the conducive conditions for peace and democracy, I think it's so important to appreciate the great sacrifice of others - even though we can only lend a distant support, we can make sure that oppression and injustice never happens around us.
Protest Footage
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AJyPnhV_g74 [1]
