Isn’t Burma called Myanmar now?

They’ll need experience union hacks to run their new organizations, maybe they’ll take Jack O’Connor away from us :)

During colonial rule, the Brits used to call the defiant Burmese *Irish of the East*. Great admirers of the Irish revolution, the English educated nationalists formed a political party in the early 1930s, modeled on Sinn Fein, and named it Doh Bama Asi-ayone (We Burman) party.

When faced with external threat, the Burmese historically tend to withdraw to the plains. During the Cold War, Burma — the other domino — shut down the state and imposed self-isolationism to escape the ravages of the Indochina war.

Boomers, who have lived the current – and tragic — history of Burma and have studied it, would say the nationwide protests in 1988 was our *Burmese Spring*, after millions of extraordinary people, from all walks of life, toppled the almost-totalitarian Marxist socialist dictatorship.

The uprising was triggered by endless economic and financial hardships, above all. The desperate regime had again cancelled all banknotes in circulation, enough to make even the simple roadside vendors furious.

Earlier, after toppling the civilian government in 1962, ultranationalist Gen Ne Win invited the Communists to join his government, hoping to end the raging insurgency.

During the 26-year revolution (1962-1988), the communistic regime nationalised everything that can be confiscated, including all small businesses, banks, schools, movie theatres and warehouses, among many others.

The military establishment was not spared: the giant army-run Burma Economic Development Corp, operating dozens of firms and businesses ranging from banking to fisheries and turning handsome profits running into millions of dollars was also nationalised.

Over the years tens of thousands of enterprises, both domestic and foreign, were confiscated without compensation. In the end not much was left to nationalise. By 1987, the once-rich country became one of the *least developed nations* in the world.

Under the stifling Soviet-style economic system, tens of thousands of ordinary Burmese were jailed for trying to eke out a living in the shadows of the black-market, which entirely replaced the private sector.

(The fact that Western nations and international lending bodies, like the World Bank and the IMF, bankrolled the revolution is another story).

The officer corps was never to forgive the Communists, who now dominate the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

(Strangely, the Communists have mysteriously vanished from today’s narratives — facts so important in understanding the country. Such ignorance, or denial, is unforgivable).

Today’s third-generation military rulers, having crushed the communists, have unshackled the economy, rehabilitated the private sector and now welcome foreign investors. The regime has also opened its arms to Burmese citizens, like me, who fled the socialist revolution.

With the transition to democracy in place, and to secure their future, the military was back in business, operating more than 40 firms and businesses.

Like it or not, free enterprise was here to stay in Burma. Those who can’t see the changes for the better in Burma must have cataract.

As one Burmese entrepreneur told me in Yangon: *It’s commerce and industry — not politics -– that will feed the people*.

Please explain why more than two million Burmese — young and old — were forced to work in heartless neighbouring countries for pittance — and abuse — if not for the economic sanctions. This collective punishment of ordinary Burmese must end now.

The recent criticisms leveled at the reforms clearly reveal the desperation of professional Burmese activists, *instant* experts and those living off the miseries of the long-suffering Burmese that the gravy trail is about to run dry following the fast-changing events in Myanmar/Burma.

Meanwhile, you cannot *export democracy to Burma*. It was a country with deep democratic traditions – there have been village headmen, appointed by general consensus, for centuries — where democracy was waiting to emerge.

After independence from Britain in 1948, it did. The first constitution was highly liberal. (On the other extreme, the second, and now-defunct, 1974 charter was dreadful: it was modeled on the Soviet constitution).

There was free speech, a key index of freedom. When the Burmese were voting, the minorities in the US, among others, were denied that right.

The (gullible) world is today supporting the same tyrants — now in the NLD leadership — who destroyed our hopes and freedom.

So, can democracies develop without outside intervention? South Korea is a good example: the country moved from a military dictatorship to democracy on its own, not as a result of great encouragement from anyone outside, in spite of the presence of American troops.

It took Western Europe 200 years to develop a stable democracy, not counting the two bloody world wars. Give the Burmese a break.

Sincerely
Rich Mookerdum
Burmese-born journalist
richm009@gmail.com
REPLY

Don’t do it union bosses are greedy and only look after themselves. Don’t get me wrong in theory unions work but in practice union reps are power hungry and are only in it for what they can get out of it and don’t care about the workers. Just look how much the earn here in Ireland.

This is just an attempt to look like they are opening up so that they can chair ASEAN in 2014 but if they were serious about political change wouldn’t they have released more political prisoners last week?