The Psychology of the Ruling Class

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: The Psychology of the Ruling Class in Burma

The Psychology of the Ruling Class in Burma
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By Julien Moe
1st July

To remove a government from power by negociation or by force, you will have
to understand the psychology of the ruling class,that is, the mental make-up
of  the military junta, that is, the thought processes of the  generals and
the colonels of SPDC, the Burmese government. After the coup, the then
SLORC, the military regime, announced that free and fair elections would be
held. Before the elections, more than a hundred parties were formed and
without understanding the will of the people, the generals thought  votes
would surely  be split. It was quite unfortunate for the generals when votes
were not split but  the NLD, the party most hated by the generals, was voted
in by the people. Even 70% of the people from the armed forces voted for
Aung San Suu Kyi, the non-violent opposition leader  whose party is now
being eliminated by the regime by force and intimidation.

Thus, the generals decided to give a lame reason to the public and the
international community. The reason to hold on to power is to save the
country from being disintegrated. Without the will and the consent of the
people, the generals made up their mind to become saviours of the nation and
started to discredit Aung San Suu Kyi in the course of eliminating the MPs
and her party members. 

Today the generals have a tendency to assume Aung San Suu Kyi  does not
exist any more. They are trying to pretend that  the Lady does not exist any
more. They tend to think that Aung San Suu Kyi will run out of words and
political strategies and as a result , people will forget her soon enough.
If you ask which people are the most superstitious in the world, the answer
is certainly going to  be "these generals ruling Burma by force".  Astrology
and religious  rites are performed on a weekly basis. Nine is the lucky
number for the generals and quite on the contrary ,the year 1999 has been
the worst year for the generals as the year began. In March  the United
States decertified Burma on drugs. Within the same year  UN condemned Burma
for  human rights abuses, the United States and EU renewed their economic
sanctions on Burma and ILO came forward with proofs of labour rights abuses,
forced labour and child labour. The generals were put to shame by FBC
activists by their protests. The generals were blamed and condemned for

refusing dying  Michael Aris to visit  his wife, Aung Sann Suu Kyi. The
state delegation led by Brigidier General Kyaw Win was in Japan and the
visit became a shameful experience  and an abortive coup for the regime when
the state  agenda was rejected by the Japanese government. They all have
happened within this year , 1999, which is supposed to be a lucky year for
the generals. Yet the generals do not give in . They keep on believing nine
is their lucky number despite the fact they are quite afraid of what might
happen on the 9th of September 1999, that is, 9/9/99, that is, 4 Nines,that
is, Nine if all nines are added. What the generals have not realised yet is
that there are only the Good and the Bad. 

  With regard to the United States and the West, the generals have a strong
desire to show they do not care about the criticism on Burma. Actions taken
by the international community are just poking their nose into what does not
concern them. Despite the generals' ignorance and arrogance, the United
States has already prescribed a rewards programme for war criminals. Ethnic
cleansing cannot be sidelined  whenever human rights on Burma are discussed.

The psychology for rhetorically  protecting the dictator like  Milosevich
obviously demonstarates that Milosevich and the generals are two of a kind.
Here comes the saying "Birds of a feather flock together". "Sovereignty" and
"national unity" are the words of sword for the generals to protect thir
status. 

To be continued.....