Myanmar146;s Mandela

All those who value freedom will rejoice over the release of Myanmar8217;s opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest. But it w...

All those who value freedom will rejoice over the release of Myanmar8217;s opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest. But it would be realistic to postpone the celebration to another day as there is no reason to believe that it denotes a fundamental change in the attitude of the military junta, euphemistically called the State Peace and Development Council SPDC, which is ruling the country. The credit for her release should go to the UN envoy, Razali Ismail, who negotiated with the junta and the pressure democracy movements all over the world exerted on the ruling clique. The refusal of some Western countries to invest in Myanmar and the resource crunch the country has been facing as a consequence have also contributed to the decision. However, the Nobel-laureate8217;s release makes sense only if it results in the restoration of democracy, which has remained bottled up for nearly four decades. Myanmar today has a whole generation of people who have never tasted the fruits of freedom. Many of them may not have even vague memories of the period when Myanmar was one of the richest countries in the region and was known for its surpluses in rice production.

Four decades of rule by the SPDC has brought neither peace nor development to the country. Today it is one of the poorest countries in the region with one of the most oppressive military regimes. The military junta has institutionalised its systems so well that it is not difficult for it to smother criticism, keep political movements under check and insulate the people from extraneous influences. But, unfortunately, for the dictators, Suu Kyi has proved more than a match for them. Neither the rigours of military rule nor long incarceration has succeeded in taming her. Her resolve to fight for the freedom of her people remains as steely as it was when she first plunged into politics in 1988. She has flitted in and out of jails since then. The junta has used every trick it knew to mislead her but she has resolutely stood by her people, several of whom sacrificed their lives for the greater cause of Myanmar. She is, in many ways, comparable to Nelson Mandela of South Africa, who fought and won freedom for his people from behind the bars.

Now that Suu Kyi has been released, international pressure on the junta is likely to ease. This will make it easier for many countries, which are looking for investment opportunities in Myanmar, to do business with the junta. In such a scenario, the struggle that the feisty lady has been leading will be forgotten. If this is not to happen, there should be no let up in the international campaign against the military dictatorship. Suu Kyi8217;s release can be celebrated only when the spectacular victory the National League for Democracy under her leadership achieved in the 1990 elections is recognised and a democratic regime is brought in. After all, the fear that Aung San Suu Kyi8217;s release is just a ruse to shrug off economic sanctions is too real to be easily dismissed.