What happened in Myanmar under the democratic regime was no less disturbing. The democratic Govt perpetrated a reign of terror to which the world turned a blind eye
Whatever semblance of democracy Myanmar had, was blown off in a coup d’état by the Army on February 1. The erstwhile Burma is again under the shadow of military Government or Junta. The Army took control of the power corridors and detained the elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders and activists.
Coup d’état, no matter where, is always bad news for democracy and cause for concern the world over. With military generals ruling the roost, people lose whatever little control they have over the Government. Whenever Army, which is neither trained to govern nor sensitive to the people’s aspiration and deamands, takes control, it does what it is best trained to do — crush anyone coming in its way and rule with an iron fist. However, what happened in Myanmar under the democratic regime was no less disturbing. The country’s democratic Government did not help its people in any way. It only perpetrated a reign of terror to which the world turned a blind eye. They might have thought that democracy will take care of it. Ironically, it didn’t.
It tarnished the image of democracy and left people’s faith shaken to the core. Now when country is under the direct control of the Junta, the army generals would have to act more responsibly. Else, they risk a serious backlash which the military regime might not like, nor afford. There are all-round protests in the country. The army is facing flak from the international community in no less measure. Its well-crafted schism between Buddhists and Rohingyas may not be enough to legitimise it. The protests going on for days have now led to the virtual siege of the Capital.
The Army has ruled the country for more than 50 years after the coup in 1962. Burma attained independence in 1948 from the British rule. It is the poorest country in the region. About a quarter of the population lives in abject poverty. Though it is a resource-rich country, its economy is one of the least developed in the world and poverty is rampant, thanks to decades of financial mismanagement and serious corruption. Myanmar is ranked 137 in the Corruption Perception Index by the Transparency International among 180 countries. Burma spends the lowest percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare. Its standard of healthcare is very poor and so is the standard of living. In such a grim situation, the time-tested formulae of dividing people on religious lines was used by both military regime and democratic Government. Dividing the people on religious lines not only legitimises the rule but also diverts the attention of people. The Junta did that and managed to rule for half a century.
Burma has Buddhist majority. The army played smart by coaxing the Buddhists and portraying Rohingyas as the enemies of the State. Thaw Bi Ta, a popular militant Buddhist monk, justifies ethnic cleansing and supports army action. He backs even the killing and torturing of innocent Rohingyas. He declared that “true nationalism” lies in the “universal declaration of Buddhist truths,” who he considers superior to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by United Nations. Thaw Bi Ta is from the military-patronised Sitagu Sangha. The Sitagu gives Myanmar military commanders textual justifications from the Buddhists scriptures for killing the “non-believers”.
Because of the propaganda by Thaw Bi Ta and others, the Buddhists who opposed the army till the late eighties have now turned pro-army in their approach. Today many Sanghas defend all the army misdoings in Rakhine State. The army courting the Buddhists has cost Rohingyas their life and liberty.
The other fallout of this coup has been a shocker for Aung San Suu Kyi. For her, it would be an eye-opener, a time to introspect and ponder over her acts as the Prime Minister. Suu Kyi had told Reuters in 2018 that the relationship with the military was “not that bad” and that the Generals in her cabinet were “rather sweet”! Sometimes poetic justice is delivered sooner than imagined. It must be even more disconcerting when it is delivered by the very set of the people that she first stood against and then went on to defend.
To put things in perspective, Aung San Suu Kyi spent good 15 years of her life in jail. All her tenure, Suu Kyi followed and defended the army programmes and pogroms. The ardent champion of democracy who won the Nobel Peace Prize never put her foot down to stop the army. Worst, she was a mute spectator to the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. She silently witnessed the slaughtering and mass exodus of the minority.
Further, Suu Kyi drew flak for her failure to address the country’s economic and ethnic problems. It was not expected of someone who spent 15 years in detention and fought a long and arduous battle. She is said to have extensively read Buddhist literature, the religion she was born into. But she failed to practise what she read. It was good riddance to bad rubbish. At least the army might be a little conscious about its actions. The buffer provided by the democratic setup is no more there. The Junta might be a little more sensitive to the international community which is already outraged. It is interesting to note how the international community is alarmed when the garb of democracy is blown off, no matter how flimsy. New Zealand has snapped ties with Myanmar. The US has imposed sanctions. However, no one was much concerned during the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas, except for a few human rights organisations.
An Amnesty International report noted: “The military committed serious human rights violations, including war crimes, in Kachin, Rakhine, and the Shan States. The Government made no progress in creating conditions conducive for the return of the 740,000 Rohingya women, men, and children who fled to Bangladesh beginning in August 2017.” At that time no one cared to intervene or put sanctions in place. Life went on as the human crisis swelled. Rohingyas who remained in Rakhine State lived under apartheid.
Almost a million of Rohingyas had left their country where they were disfranchised and stripped of their basic human rights. Many made it to Bangladesh while other succumbed to the tedious journey. When Bangladesh couldn’t take them in anymore, they made it to India and other countries. Human rights violations transcend borders and they cannot be brushed aside arguing that it is an internal affair of some nation.
There is another reason that Burma would emerge as a better country after this coup. It is to do with realpolitik. The American and European Union’s (EU) involvement is surely going to make a difference here. Though China has strategic and economic interests, it did not want a military regime that will make it a pariah. The sanctions would hurt Chinese economic interests and investments.
The US has imposed new sanctions against Myanmar’s top military officials who ordered the coup. US President Joe Biden signed an executive order that allowed the Treasury Department to also target the spouses and adult children of those being sanctioned. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Yangon to join the protests, one of the biggest gatherings since the February 1 coup.The sanctions name top military commanders.
The move will prevent the generals from accessing more than $1bn in Myanmar Government funds held in the US. Now, Burmese, including Rohingyas, would have a better chance to be heard. The garb of democracy had done more harm than good to the country. It is all there in front of everyone. Sometimes democracy hurts as it did in Myanmar.
The writer is a columnist and documentary film-maker. The views expressed are personal.