‘Burmese Lessons’ for Sri Lanka

by Dr Laksiri Fernando

( May 03, 2012, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) I am here not talking about Karen Connelly’s popular love story by the name of ‘Burmese Lessons,’ but rather Aung San Suu Kyi’s entry into Parliament yesterday as the leader of the opposition in Myanmar (or Burma) with 42 other members who were elected early April in a by-election from the National League for Democracy (NLD). There is no doubt that this is also a ‘love story.’

Suu Kyi came to Burma from London in 1988 just to see her ailing mother but by that time the country had exploded into a democracy uprising after 25 years of military rule. She ‘fell in love’ with that movement and since then she has been consistently perusing democracy for the country with passion and compassion.

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) is protected from the rain by one of her aids 01 June after a storm broke at the end of her weekly weekend speech from the gate of her house in Rangoon, Burma.- Getty Images

Her NLD won a landslide victory in 1990 elections winning 80 per cent of the seats in Parliament but the military junta refused to hand over power. For her passion for democracy, she refused to leave the country, leaving her family behind in London, and since then she was under house arrest until last year except for few periods.

Immediate issue after winning the last by-election in April was whether the NLD members could ‘swear to respect’ the military drafted constitution. The NLD and Suu Kyi have pledged to fight to change the constitution. Among other things, this constitution preserves 25 per cent of seats for the military in 664-member Parliament.

The issue prevented her party entering Parliament for a whole month but finally she convinced her supporters to use discretion and tact and not to lose the opportunity just because of a ‘verbal oath’ to the constitution. She and the party are determined to change the constitution and bring full democracy to the country.

Her love for democracy is full of passion as well as compassion. She said “our purpose is not to oust anybody from Parliament, but the country needs representatives who are elected and responsible to the people.”

Burma and Sri Lanka

Burmese military intelligence officers Colonel Kyaw Thein (L), Colonel Thein Swe (C) and Burma's number two strongman, Colonel Kyaw Nwin consult with each other 01 February before answering a journalist's question during the monthly governmental press conference. Military intelligence said they have identified and exposed three subversive groups linked to the All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF). Emmanuel DUNAND/AFP PHOTO.

Laksiri Fernando, Senior Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Colombo, is currently is a visiting scholar at the University of Sydney in retirement. He is the Author of “Human Rights, Politics and States: Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

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