By Ivan Lewis, Minister of State, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The message could not have been clearer. On Armed Forces day, as soldiers marched through Naypyidaw, Burma’s Senior General Than Shwe set out his vision for “disciplined democracy”. A moment that could have been cause for celebration, is instead a cause for concern and regret.
The Generals seem determined to squander a once in a generation opportunity to put Burma on a path to a better future. Recently announced laws mean there is no prospect of forthcoming elections being free, fair or inclusive. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party are forced to either expel her, or accept that they will be disbanded. Prospective voters have already been warned to vote the ‘right way’.
Instead of a general election, there will be an election of Generals.
This is why the UK secured an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss these developments, and why we supported the adoption of a strong resolution in the UN Human Rights Council on 26 March. We remain determined to keep Burma high on the international agenda. The human consequences of military dictatorship in the country demand nothing less: the sheer scale of the suffering, the monstrous human rights abuses, the tragic waste of human life and economic potential.
We also have a duty to respond to the courage and determination of Burma’s people. I have met young activists ready to risk their lives to help persecuted communities, who drew their boundless energy not from bitterness, but from a shared vision of a better future for their country. It is remarkable that in the face of such brutality, so many Burmese remain committed to a peaceful process of national reconciliation.
But I firmly believe they are right to pursue that goal: an inclusive transition to democracy would release the true potential of the country.
For Burma’s people there is the prospect of a government that acts in the people’s interests rather than its own. Economic mismanagement and endemic corruption have seen Burma go from being the ‘rice bowl of Asia’ to a country where much of the population lives in abject poverty. Spending on health and education is amongst the lowest in the world. In a newly-united, outward-looking Burma, people could begin to benefit from global trade, and the government could invest wealth generated by the country’s natural resources into public services and educating the next generation.
There is a choice for Myanmar’s military leaders too. Currently synonymous with brutal dictatorship and the worst abuses of power, they could instead find a place in history for bringing about a transition to lasting stability and security that restored Burma’s international standing. Or they can continue to live in fear and opprobrium.
For Burma’s neighbours, a genuinely inclusive political settlement would allow refugees to return home and end border instability. The Rohingya, Karen and other persecuted groups have fled in large numbers across Burma’s borders. The problems will continue while the factors that drive people away from their homelands remain unchanged. This worrying trend, as well as the growing flow of drugs and human trafficking, could be tackled and eventually reversed.
For these reasons, the UK remains determined to stand up for the people of Burma. I am convinced of three things.
First, that no-one should be selling arms to a country where the military’s primary purpose is to oppress and persecute its own people. A global arms embargo is long overdue, and the UK is urging others to follow the EU’s lead and stop the sale of arms to the Generals.
Second, that we must make clear to Burma’s leaders that without the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and full participation of opposition and ethnic groups, elections planned for later this year will not be credible, nor help to solve Burma’s many problems.
Finally, that we should resist the temptation to accept the status quo out of frustration at the lack of progress. If Burma’s people can retain their optimism for the future, we have no right to turn away or give up hope.
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We have 50 years Lee’s generals Leegime and Leemocracy. We also have refugees and political prisoners. We are 1st world Swiss Singapoor economy.
Since when EVIL cares about democracy, justice or compassion?
We have 2 brigadier general and 2 rear admiral serving as pm and cabinet ministers now - LHL, TeoCH,GY and LiuTY.
To Mr Lewis, generals or no generals is none of your business. It is this Western interfering with domestic politics that is causing and prolonging this problem. Su Kyi has experience in Governance at all. She was prop up by the west base on Western agenda.
How about condemning your own Govt for invading Iraq.
How about condemning your own Govt for sucking Burma dry during your colonisation era.
Please, please look after your own backyard.
Dictatorship is closely knitted in Asia, one way or another, most Asian countries have such problem. Most are disguised hybrid regimes, painted as democracy. But for Burma, it is purely a regime and they are twisting it into a hybrid.
haha… we can probably label this as an ‘Asian’ thingy.
this is asia. caucasians, go mind your own business!
The world’s borders are shrinking, values are becoming more universal. This is a reality one must face.
burma as in myammer? who are the shameful neigbours supporters?
beside good ole singapore pap party government? the thais are the other guilty party…
why is malaysian government not supportin the burmese? simply because they themselves knows when to draw the line…
Isnt the game played differently but similar to what is happening in SG?
Simple - Birds of the same feathers flock together. In Asia, having control of the gun is perogative of a Govt.
Singapore needs a general election. not an elite selection/
thinktok
Mar 30, 2010 10:57
To Mr Lewis, generals or no generals is none of your business. It is this Western interfering with domestic politics that is causing and prolonging this problem. Su Kyi has experience in Governance at all. She was prop up by the west base on Western agenda.
so in your capacity as an adviser in the parliament secertary teams to the ministers
su kyi is not married to a british nationals..but irene ng the mp is married to a divorced scotman…
western agenda? meanin..must sink song$ in tune with the pap government you know liked conquer iraq with the american/british government..so what is the singapore pap agenda when itself cooperate with the invasion of iraq..what is the benefits did singapore get out of it? war experiences perhaps?
Why all those comments are up to singapore? The main topic should be about Myanmar gov, isn’t it?
Most comments here talkin nonsense. It doesn’t matter a country is asian or western. All need to have freedom of speech at least to a certain extent. And this should not be hampered by fear. To differentiate between asian and western is stupidity. We are all humans. If you look at Maslow’s law u will know why. or lets say u if u lock a person up in an empty room and nobody talks to him. After a few days he will start to go nuts. May be a good example is pow’s or even those who are in detention without trial..the way these people are treated. Cut off everything and wat happens? they go crazy, That is how this is. One of the basic necessity is freedom. If we are slaves, what will we long for – freedom.! Freedom is the ability to think, act and do things individually without the force of another person. If there is always someone telling u to do something this way or that way, basically u will loose the ability to think and act. U become like a robot. Rich or poor u need freedom. Lets say ,sometimes if you are poor u may do anything somebody tell u to.Eg: A poor person who works under a rich boss. In his poorness he will do what his boss say because that is his way to survive. But after working sometime he may have some money to meet his basic need of food and so on. Then he will start to have other needs. This is how a person start to grow. He doesn’t stay in one situation all the time. When he start to grow his need will change. And he will start to realize freedom. Even though this may be within him he may not be able to express it in the beginning because of the situation he was in. So he suppress it. but eventually it will come out. So no matter what u do freedom is in everyone. the more u try to suppress someone’s freedom, the more he will want freedom. So freedom is needed by everyone. It is not an western ideology. More of a human need.