Burma
is a country where several ethnic nationalities have
been living in adjacent for centuries. All major ethnic
nationalities in Burma have their own languages, cultures
and traditions that can distinguish them from one
another. However, the political rights* of those people
have been denied by the ruling Burmese governments. Instead of
recognizing the country's diverse ethnic reality and
political sensitivity of various ethnic issues,
successive Burmese governments have tried to eliminate
ethnic movements mainly by means of military offensives.
Since
Independence, not only have the concerns of ethnic
nationalities never been addressed, but political,
cultural and educational rights of ethnic people have
been systematically denied. It is true that some ethnic
individuals had achieved high positions of government a
few years since independence. But ever since Gen. Ne Win took
power in 1962 through a military coup, Burma had been ruled by a
centralized political system instituted by Burma Socialist
Programme Party (BSPP). Top leadership positions in civil
services, armed forces and the state administration held
by minorities were disproportionately replaced by
majority Burman nationals. After the 1947 constitution
was dissolved, in 1974, the BSPP adopted a new constitution in which
no specification was stated regarding ethnic representation
in the government. Instead of leaders duly elected by
their people, only a few ethnic leaders were hand-picked
by the Burman leadership to symbolize ethnic
representation in the BSPP government. Hence, those
handful of selected ethnic leaders acted only at the desire of the
central government rather than as representatives of their own
ethnic nationalities.
I
would call such method as "select and rule,"which is
still being used by current ruling military regime, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Except
for annual folk dance and costume parades on traditional
holidays recognized by the government, most ethnic
cultures are being eliminated. In the so-called "Union"
of Burma, only Burmese language is recognized as the medium of
education; none of the ethnic languages is allowed to be
taught at schools or allowed to be used at any level of
administration. Consequently, ethnic nationality
schoolchildren and the young generation are growing up
without knowing their own cultures or speaking their own languages.
In this way, social and cultural domination has been
effectively taking place in Burma today. After all, the
"Union" that the SLORC claims, means nothing or makes no
sense to the ethnic nationalities. This is one of the
most sensitive political issues facing Burma and all her
inhabitants, and not only must we discuss openly about
it, but all of us must enthusiastically strive to resolve
it.
According
to the SLORC, at least fifteen ethnic armed
organizations have entered cease-fire agreements with
them. SLORC thinks that those cease-fire agreements will
legitimize its holding onto power. However, beneath the
surface of cease-fire agreements between SLORC and fifteen different
ethnic nationalities lie a deeper reality of human rights
violations and of ethnic annihilation campaign in Burma
today. I would like to urge the international community
to think about this: who among us will be willing to
fight against an army with 500, 000 troops, if the
so-called "peace" that is being offered to us could be
considered a genuine one? When the SLORC launched massive offensives
"against the KNU" this year, villages were burned, many
young women were raped and many Karen villagers including
children, women and elders were arbitrarily tortured and
killed by the SLORC soldiers. As a result, hundreds and
thousands of Karen villagers have fled their villages to
the Thai-Burmese border where they hope to find a
temporary safe place. While they are afraid of SLORC brutality,
those refugees choose to stay in the border refugee camps with a
possibility of being forced to return by the Thai
authorities. The question is who would know the SLORC's
mentality and brutish character more than these refugees
do? More than a hundred thousand Karen refugees remained
suspicious of SLORC and are fear to return to Burma.
Politically naive as they may be, their painful experiencees
have taught them severe lessons. How can someone whose village was
burned, whose father was brutally murdered and whose
sister was repeatedly raped by the SLORC soldiers easily
learn to "trust?" How can the Karen leadership ignore the
plight of these refugees when they talk with the SLORC?
If these people cannot have peace, who will? In one case,
a young Karen soldier asked: who could solve the painful
dilemma of a young Karen girl who was allowed by SLORC
soldiers to choose whether she be raped passively and live or be
killed instantly at gun point? The SLORC must bear the
responsibility to answer all these questions. Actually,
in Burma, peace is not merely the absence of battles; it
is something that must be achieved by all the people of
Burma regardless of their ethnic backgrounds and creeds.
For the time being, SLORC seems to be winning the battles,
but not the peace. One thing we have to keep in mind, so long as
the ethnic annihilation campaign continues, the spirit of
revolution will remain strong in the minds of millions of
Karen people.
Towards A Genuine Union of Burma
Among
all the ethnic nationalities, the Karen is known as the
largest group with an estimated 7 millions population.
The Karen have learned their lesson from their
experiences throughout the history and especially from
the World War II that as a nation, unless we have a state of
our own, we will never be able to experience a life of peace and
decency, and never be free from persecution and oppression.
After Burma gained her independence from the British, it
has been extremely difficult for the ethnic nationalities
and the Burman, with some diametrically opposite views,
outlooks, attitudes and mentalities, to yoke together
peacefully. However, differences in nature and mentality
are not the main reasons for the Karen's refusal to throw
in their lot with the Burman. There is more important reason, that
is, to have the state of our own within a genuine Federal
Union.
The
Karen resistance movement is more than just a struggle
for survival against national oppression, subjugation,
exploitation and domination of the Karen people by the
Burmese rulers. It has the aim of a genuine Federal Union
comprised of all the states of the nationalities on the
basis of equality and self-determination. Burma is a multi-national
country, inhabited also by the Kachin, Karenni, Chin, Lahu,
Mon, Pa-O, Palaugng, Shan, and Wa, etc. All these ethnic
nationalities in Burma have taken up arms to fight
against the Burmese Government for their own
self-determination. The consolidated National Democratic
Front (NDF) has resolved to form a genuine Federal Union,[again,]
comprised of all the states of the nationalities in Burma,
including a Burman state, on the basis of liberty,
equality and social progress. The ethnic nationalities,
more than ever, are determined to fight until victory is
achieved, and request the people of all classes and all
walks of life to join hands and fight against the military
dictatorship. As we all know, in late 1988, the Karen National Union
took the initiative in proposing that the NDF form a
broader political front along with the newly formed
Burman organizations to meet the developing political
situation. The other members agreed, and the Democratic
Alliance of Burma (DAB) was formed, including all the
members of the NDF as well as organizations such as the All Burma
Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the All Burma Young
Monks' Union (ABYMU). This really marks the first time
that the people of all races, even the Burmans, are
united in trying to throw off the yoke of an oppressive
Burmese military regime.
In Relation to the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Burma
Ethnic
nationalities of Burma ardently support the people's
movement led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of the NLD for
democracy and the dismantling of the military
dictatorship. Just as Daw Suu revealed her belief with
regard to the Karen's struggle: "the plight of our Karen
refugees should appeal to the compassion of all right-thinking people
all over the world…," she also called on all the nations
and all ethnic nationalities to join hands in solving the
problems. I have no doubt that the ethnic conflicts in
Burma can be peacefully and smoothly solved by having
face-to-face dialogues, as clearly stated by the NLD:
1) Frankness, sincerity and mutual respect;
2) National reconciliation;
3) Practice of peaceful means; and
4) General harmony without hard feelings are essential policies which must be observed.
As
genuine peace is the most essential to all the people of
Burma, we do look forward to the courageous and candid
cooperation of our fellow Burmans along the way of our
struggle. The conflicts we have between us, the Burmans
and the ethnic nationalities, has never been personal
hatred, and we are responsible never to let it become
one. The end of the military regime must be the end of all wars
against the ethnic nationalities and their struggle for freedom.
We cannot afford to have war after war as governments
change. We must make sure that when we say peace in the
future Burma, it means peace for all her inhabitants.
Thank you.
This
paper was presented by Naw May Oo at the Free Burma
Conference '97 held at the University of California, Los
Angeles on October 4-6, 1997.