How are you, Mr. Gambari?

21 October 2007

From September 28, there was a lot of happenings inside and outside Burma. There were intense crackdowns on democracy supporters or demonstrators since then. Mr. Gambari arrived Rangoon in Sep 30 and shuttled between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and General Than Shwe. He could only deliver the so-called stiff warning to the generals but failed to stop the crackdowns or fufil the calls for intervention in Myanmar.

He is supposedly in India by now gathering regional support for his future activities which is supposedly to station an office to monitor the progress of the national reconciliation. Thailand has proposed him the round table discussion inclusive of Burma to “talk” peace and national reconciliation push to Burma. I don’t know whether it can be achieved but it is quite a fanciful idea.

Yesterday, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo urged that “Genuine” dialogue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the regime needs to happen. He said it must be genuine and not for “show”. He also stated that as a member of ASEAN family, the other members have moral authority to push this member. Well, and yes, we have to agree that this is what we have to achieve. Mr. Gambari must achieve to get “hold” of all the stakeholders and get together in the dialogue.

Currently in Burma, The generals are still stubborn and there is intense crackdown. According to reliable news sources, the Burmese nationals who return to Burma has been checked against with the photos or video recordings of overseas protests to calls against the violence sent by the respective Burmese embassies or spies. Some of the returning nationals have been detained or even arrested on the spot or while they are at home for the reason of participating in those overseas protests.

I would urge Mr. Gambari that his immediate mission to achieve is not the national reconciliation. It is the total stop of crackdowns against Burmese people. A recent quote in the New Light of Myanmar, a government publication, says it all: "National traitors will soon meet their tragic ends." I can forsee that the regime is like an unleashed angry dog who wants to bite whoever touches them or hid them hard, especially to their hearts. The regime never wanted to hear any single words against them and they have zero tolerance of people voices and concerns.

Although Mr. Gambari has a grey shadow of background working in the previous Nigerian Military regime, he has some track records of achievements as a problem solver. I have some beliefs on Mr. Ban Ki-Mun who once lived under South Korean then-military regime and understands the struggle under dictatorship. I hope he and Mrs. Laura Bush, who I believe has sympathy on Burma struggle, can push the UN to achieve “practical” results on Burma. Of those “practical” results, the following are major concerns.

  1. To stop the crackdowns against demonstrators and supporters.
  2. To establish an UN office to monitor the progress of National Reconciliation.
  3. If the junta refuses, there must be UN forces to send to Burma to force “Genuine” Dialogue to happen.
  4. UN must be there until there is people “elected” government of choice.
From my point of view, the regime has shunned the Security council’s decision and it vowed to continue its own “roadmap” of Nowhere. According to the roadmap, the national convention has taken 13 years to complete the “draft” constitution. It is the world’s longest constitution writing to be recorded in World “Guinness” record. Last week or so, the regime has gathered it’s own people either by forcing or luring with money, to attend the puppet mass gatherings to support the pro-military constitution. The people went to those gatherings in fear of the government reprisals. In Rangoon, they gathered 100,000 people in a stadium to shout pro-military slogans.

From this point, the military regime has calculated that they can go ahead with their own roadmap and ignored calls from the world. This is wrong, generals. I can tell you that all the Burmese people are silently protesting you all since 1962, the first military coup in our history. Those born after 1988, people revolutionary uprisings, are now involved deeply in this saffron revolution. They have said silent prayers and protests since they were born. If we miss the chance, we will waste another generation to improve the country.

Why are we desperately in need of National Reconciliation? There are many reasons of which I will represent the most important ones.
  1. Current military government has shown and proved their mismanagement of economy and the country for 19 years. It is enough for us to change to another government and improve.
  2. Current military mindset is that they can do whatever they want when they have weapons and killing mechanisms like prisons and detention camps. It is enough for us to suffer for 19 years under fear and reprisals and we, the people, want to change to new way of life.
  3. We are so tired of “elite” military class who tries to snatch whatever they want from the ordinary citizens. For example, they could force rent a taxi or car to transport the generals in the rural areas without paying any rental fee. We want equal values and opportunities of the citizens.
Current situation is that there are those people who get some little benefits from the regime to do chores for them. They would prosecute, arrest, or even beat the ordinary citizens who are their fellows for the sake of the regime. They would go to those mass gatherings or force other ordinary citizens to follow them and shout pro-military slogans. I believe they don’t think of too much things but only think of their current well-being. They may or may not have so called patriotic spirits but they are blind to see the future total collapse of the country if they continue to follow the regime.

How are you, Mr. Gambari? I think you are fine and well-paid. Please contribute for sake of Burmese people who are also world citizens who deserve to be paid attention by UN. If you ask who I am to talk all these issues directed to Mr. Gambari, I say;

“I am no one but one of the citizens who loves to see my country peaceful and prosperous.”

3 comments:

New Orleans Ladder said...

Hi, I just submitted this wonderful post on the Burma News Ladder.
Apathy truly is the tyrant's best friend.

Thank you all so much for placing the Burma News Ladder link on your blog. We are working hard to make it the largest collection of articles and info on the net for current Burma News.

I tried to place a comment in the C-box but it would not let me, either signed as Bourgeois Nievete or backhandpath (my handle as an editor on the NewsLadder).

Please feel free to join in the News Ladder and help it grow as a Human aggregated news site.

Please feel free to check out my own blog.
http://bourgeoisnievete.blogspot.com/

Keep up your great work for Free Burma.
Thank You

Anonymous said...

People can take certain amount of pain before they become robotic like in the peaceful and cleanest "disciplined democracy of Singapore".

Ka Daung Nyin Thar said...

Dear Nievete,

Thank you for supporting our Burmese cause!

We will never forget the world for helping their fellow citizens, us!

Thank you