INDIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS' SUPPORT TO

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Indian Parliamentarians' Support for Democracy in Burma

A meeting of some Members of Parliament from India took place in New Delhi
on 8th October in expressing solidarity with Burma's democratic movement
and its leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The meeting was initiated by Ms.
Nirmaladesh Pandey, a Raja Sabha (Upper House) Member of Parliament. Total
9 Members of Parliament of India across the political party-line were at
the meeting and they expressed their concern on the arrest of Members of
Parliament and political activists in Burma. They also urged the Burma's
military government to immediately work for restoration of democracy in
the country. Two months ago, 75 Members of Parliament from various
political parties of India had expressed their support to the National
League for Democracy (NLD) and its call for convening parliament in Burma.
They signed a letter urging Senior General Than  Shwe who is head of the
military regime to engage a dialogue with NLD.

MIZZIMA News Group conducted an interview with Ms. Nirmaladesh Pandey who
initiated the parliamentarians' meet on 8th October in New Delhi. She is a
Member of Parliament (Raja Sabha) and she was nominated to the parliament
by the President of India. She is a Gandhian, supporter of Tibet and
Burma's freedom and democracy movement and Chairwoman of Association of
Peoples in Asia (APA) which supports peoples' movements in the region. She
is currently working to form a Forum of Indian Parliamentarians on Burma
to lobby Indian Parliament in favour of restoration of democracy in Burma.
The following is the interview with Ms. Nirmaladesh Pandey.

MIZZIMA New Group
1944, Outran Line, Kingsway Camp,
Delhi - 9
Tel/Fax : 0091-11-711 5491

Date : 9th October 1998
_______________

Q:	We would like to start asking your view on current political
developments in Burma. As you are aware, there has been escalating
political confrontation between the military junta and the NLD. About 200
Members of Parliament are being detained and many of them are charged with
1950 Emergency Act. How do you react this situation?

A:	I am quite aware about the situation in Burma. As a friend of
Burma, I am getting all reports. I would like to say that the best thing
that the great leader Aung San Suu Kyi is doing is she is taking 100 %
legal stand. So no one can challenge her on the legality of her stand, to
ask the government to convene the parliament of elected members. And
because the parliament was not convened before, the problem of whether the
tenure is still there doesn't arise. Once a parliament is convened, then
it is for the particular period, says 3 years, 5 years whatever it may be
according to your constitution. But it was not convened. So that means she
is very right that it should be convened. Another point is that she has
kept all her followers peaceful and non-violent. If any group would have
resorted to violence, that would have really been in the favour of the
present government. But because all those who are supporting her are
following non-violence and they are taking only non-violent actions. That
is her major strength. And as we have seen in India and everywhere else in
the world, non-violence knows no failure. Non-violence always succeeds. It
may take time. But the victory will be hers and we as her friends of India
are very sure that one day she will be victorious.

Q:	You have been working with Burmese democracy activists in India
for years now for the democratic changes in Burma. What is the extent of
support and solidarity of the people of India extended to Burma's
democratic movement?
A:	Well, so far as people are concerned, I would like to say that
everyone is with Burma. So far as government is concerned, government has
its own constraints, limitations, and we can't say that the Government of
India for last many many years have taken the stand which is really
helpful to her, we can't see that. But they have their constraints. So far
as the people are concerned, we can say that people have all sympathy,
support for her and whatever way we ask them to cooperate, people are
willing to do that. And this people's support is bound to have an effect,
can bring some moral pressure on any government that is there. So far as
parliamentarians are concerned, we can see that there is fond of sympathy
for her.

Q:	Aung San Suu Kyi has called for international support. What role
can either the Government of India or people of India play in support of
her call?
A:	Well, India can play and should play a big role on  Burma, being
our next-door neighbour. Also we have fought together the war of
Independence. We have been so close for centuries. I mean I would say go
back to many many centuries. And culturally also we are so close because
of Buddhism. So India should play a major role. I can see that now, the
time has come for the people of India, for various organizations of India,
for the parliamentarians of India to play a role and all that will create
an atmosphere in which the government of India can also play a role that
the government should play.

Q:	You were saying that Indian parliamentarians are in support of
democracy in Burma. Recently, more than 75 Members of Parliament had
signed in support of democracy in Burma. But, how these kind of support
can be transformed into action? As far as I know, the Indian parliament
had no resolution in support of restoration of democracy in Burma.
A:	Well, this morning, we had a meeting of parliamentarians at my
place and all political parties were represented. And we have unanimously
taken a decision to work for this cause and issued a statement also that
we support Aung San Suu Kyi's democratic movement and urged upon the
government (of Burma) to convene the parliament at the earliest. We are
also concerned about the arrest of the elected representatives, of the
people, also political activists. So we have began to do something. I
hope, when the parliament meets by the end of November (this year) we will
be able to have bigger group to do something and now that she has taken a
stand and asked for support from people and parliaments in various
countries of the whole world. This is the time where India has to act and
I hope that, as I said people of India, parliamentarians of India would
surely do what they should do. And I hope that the Government of India
also will be able to do something to extend a helping hand to our
neighbour.

Q:	We would like to ask another aspect of it. Since after 1994, there
has been closer relationship between Burma and India. There has been trade
going on between the two countries, regular exchanges and in some cases
intelligence exchanges between the authorities of two countries in the
border areas because of insurgency in North East and the other side. What
is your comment on that?
A:	May be, those agreements had to be taken because of as you rightly
said the problem of insurgency and especially in that area, the government
of India had to face a lot of problems. So that might be the reason. There
are some other problems like smuggling of drugs and arms and all that. So,
to solve these problems, some kind of agreement with the government,
whatever government that be,  has to be made. These are the compulsions.
But I know any government of India, of any political party or any
coalition, whatever that may be has all sympathy for Aung San Suu Kyi and
her democracy movement. So far as sympathy is concerned, I don't think
there can be any two opinions. But there are some compulsions for
government, all governments as we know. But this time I hope that as the
situation is developing in a particular way, may be along with many other
governments of the world, the government of India will also take the right
step. But all this is possible only when we create pressure of the public
opinion. In a democracy, the public opinion is the most important fact.
And it is in this field that activists like us, various NGOs, and those
who sympathize with this cause should be more active to mobilize public
opinion in a very big way. That needs to be done. As I said that the
sympathy of the people, sympathy are with Aung San Suu Kyi but, not much
activity has taken place. So we have to make them active, the people who
has sympathy, they should be more active and that is what those whbelieve
in non-violence have to do. We have to tell the people if you keep quiet,
when injustice is done, if you don't speak, if you don't act, that means
you are supporting the injustice. This is what needs to be done, to tell
the people to be active. And once people become active, for this right
cause, then I see that much more help can be given from every sections of
the country.

Q:	As you know, Aung San Suu Kyi has called for international
recognition to 10-members Committee which has the mandate of more than 250
elected Members of Parliament. As a Member of Parliament, do you extend
recognition to this parliamentary committee?
A:	Well, I am an independent Member of Parliament. So I can take my
own decision. But the point is, different political parties, they have
their discipline to follow. So, this recognition would come a little
later. First, we start with making people in all sections act, demanding
something to be done. Then doing something in a non-violent way, all that,
that will lead to recognition. Recognition is not the first step. It is, I
would say, not exactly the last step but quite a step, that will be taken
a little later.

Q:	How do you foresee restoration of democracy in Burma?
A:	Well, as a believer in non-violence and follower of Mahatma
Gandhi, I can always see that truth will win. We have Government of
India's motto -"Satyamay Vijayate" - that is truth always wins and because
of Aung San Suu Kyi is standing on the basis of truth, she is bound to
win. Time, we don't know. It may take a little more time or it may be just
round the corner. You don't know. But it is bound to happen. She will win
as you know the song that we all sing here in the song of Martin
Lutherking's "We shall over come". So, someday, that someday is not very
far off. Look as it is quite near. But till we reach that point, may be we
will have to be prepared all of us, people of Burma, or friends of Burma
in every countries. We must be prepared for more efforts, more sacrifices.

Q:	I would like to know a little more about yourself?
A:	Well, Member of Parliament..I became just recently. I was
nominated by the President of India. I was never actively associated with
any political party. I was not in politics. I am basically a Gandhian,
social worker or what we call a constructive worker, working at the
people's level. From the village up to the metropolitan city, working at
the people's level. Mobilizing the people for non-violent action to fight
against all kinds of injustice. So this is being part of our work for last
more than four decades. And this has also come naturally to us. As I told
you, Burma is our neighbour. We regard Aung San Suu Kyi as a kind of, I
would say, a member of the whole Gandhian family. She is just one of us.
We had such a respect for her great father. He was a friend of our first
Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and very close to us. That's why we
have such closeness and affinity for her and her cause. So it is natural
for us to do something and more also because she is committed to
non-violence. And as a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, I am also committed to
non-violence. So, myself and my colleagues all over India, they are in
very big numbers, we think it is our duty to help this movement. As we are
also doing whatever bit we can do for the cause of Tibet under the
leadership of his holiness the Dalai Lama because of his commitment to
non-violence. It is non-violence that has really brought all of us,
followers of Mahatma Gandhi closer to Burmese cause and closer to Tibetan
cause.


The End of Interview