“Freedom from Want, Freedom from fear”

By: Victor Cherubim

 In every nation, so it seems, a turning point is reached, when a leader emerges, after decades of being in the wilderness, to uplift its fortunes. This is a defining moment, difficult to assess whether it is pre ordained or by an accident of history. It appears that the time is opportune for change, in Burma.

Like Martin Luther King, the Civil Liberties activist, Nelson Mandela, the South African Leader, both catalysts of change, now Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democratic opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has arrived on the world scene, to the heartbeat of a nation which has been neglected by the family of nations for over thirty years and whose people have suffered much hardship.

In her first speech in many as thirty years on European soil, she addressed the ILO at Geneva on an issue close to her heart -the malaise of youth unemployment in her troubled homeland. With deep appreciation of her sincere appeal for investment in the future of the youth of Burma, the entire gathering gave her a tumultuous standing ovation of over five minutes, unprecedented in such an august international gathering.

Of unparalleled significance in the destinies of this South East Asian nation, a feel good factor suddenly is evident, in comparison to the time it was in oblivion, as if it has woken up to the real world. This probably may not be the full story, as this tectonic shift to democratic values after long, arduous and gruelling years of military dictatorship, has been won at a cost. The fear of the end of autocratic rule still hangs on, though it may not come sooner rather than later.

Autocratic rulers, military dictatorships, and over empowering regimes, sometimes even benevolent dynasties, all have one thing in common. They all proclaim that they have a divine right to rule. Many of them could well have been enthroned through the wonton neglect of its citizenry to exercise democratic control. Some could have come to power on the heels of a crisis. Still others could have been elected by the people and have come to serve the needs of the people.

What the people of Sri Lanka have enjoyed which the people of Burma have failed to witness in thirty odd years, is incomparable. The Generals have ruled in Burma and the people have necessarily had to obey. We have been lucky with our so called people’s socialist democracy. Our people have had their say through the ballot box and the Generals have been confined “so to speak to barracks.” This may seem rather simplistic in analysis, but in hindsight we have to thank our people to have maintained democracy, with all its shortcomings.

There has always been an aversion for military rule of any shape, size, ethnicity or colour in Sri Lanka. This is not so much a legacy of our colonial past but perhaps, our way of life and our heritage. Whilst when dark clouds of uncertainty were on the horizon, we were more than fortunate to enjoy and continue to maintain our national traits, customs and traditions.

As much as we share a similar Buddhist heritage with Burma, we can take note of the risk of Burma’s military experience and take necessary steps as hoped to safeguard our democratic values in the future. The custodians of power in Sri Lanka are its people and our constitution.

There have been many reasons adduced for the prolonged might of the military rule in Burma.

As a landlocked nation and as a part of the mainland of South Asia, Burma borders on many other nations. The easiest way to maintain territorial integrity was by the military and marshal law.

This meant that freedoms had to be curtailed with the Junta ruling throughout the thirty years.

Besides, it was easy for the then Super Powers to isolate Burma from the rest of the world for their own Cold War strategic interests. With the changed world scene since the end of the Cold War, Burma is no longer considered a keen pawn player. Added to this, the military it seems has exhausted its options of controlling its citizens who are mostly the young and in their teens and a new scenario is developing not only within but also outside of Burma. This is further complicated by the war with Karen rebels who have yet to be subdued.

Sri Lanka however, is in a different ballgame with the war over and territorial integrity established by the military within the structure of a democratically elected government. The role of the military is firmly in the control at present of the government with established checks and balances, reporting directly to the Defence Secretary and to the President. There is no excuse or alibi of any sort for the military to save the nation at present. The fear of a military coup can hardly be contemplated at present and it is presumed contingency measures have been put in place to deal with this eventuality.

Without doubt, 2012 is a serious and difficult time for Europe. But so it is for the people of many other countries. Around the world, a private sector credit crunch has been transformed, with the transfer of liabilities from the financial sector to the public sector, into a sovereign debt crisis. Harassed world leaders are only too glad there is Aung San Suu Kyi to divert attention from their woes, to hold national and international financial systems together.

As Aung San Suu Kyi has embodied in her words and work,” we are a family of people who strive to be democracy friendly,with freedom from want and freedom from fear.” No country can contain the essence of development without simultaneously working through the will of the people, which is the democratic process. This is the theme of her message to the world and it is being heard loud and clear.