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SCMP-Democracy beckons people as ge

Subject: SCMP-Democracy beckons people as generals remain locked in past 

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South China Morning Post=20
Saturday, January 1, 2000
ASIA MILLENNIUM=20

Democracy beckons people as generals remain locked in past=20
BURMA by WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok=20

This millennium holds the promise of dramatic change in Burma - a return =
perhaps to the values of liberalism and democracy that briefly flowered =
after independence a quarter of a century ago.=20
The current military rulers, who have held the country in an iron grip =
for 37 years, have repeatedly claimed to be acting consistently with =
traditional values and attitudes.=20

The generals claim to be protecting and unifying the country much as did =
King Anawratha, who reigned from 1044 to 1077, did.=20

Since King Anawratha, Burmese rulers have managed, at least until the =
British arrived in the 19th century, to be able to claim control over =
the whole country.=20

In practice, this control was often nominal, with virtually autonomous =
states paying lip service to Burmese sovereignty.=20

But as long as the Burmese king could set himself up as the protector of =
the national religion, Theravada Buddhism, and retain the loyalty of a =
scheming court, his rule as a god-king was unquestioned.=20

Today's authoritarian military rulers, by scrapping even their own 1974 =
constitution that created a one-party state a decade ago, would =
certainly seem to have embraced old-style despotism.=20

Yet however tough the old kings might have been, they undoubtedly had - =
at least for ethnic Burmans - the public's moral sanction to rule.=20

Or, as the historian Josef Silverstein has noted of the military regime =
introduced by the General Ne Win: "It was a poor imitation of the past." =


If General Ne Win and his cohorts claimed to have been picking up the =
threads of pre-colonial culture in the years after civilian rule was =
overthrown in 1962, in practice they borrowed from models of communist =
Eastern Europe and retained much of the structure of the colonial =
administration.=20

The junta reeks of arbitrary rule, a hankering for the authoritarian =
past and domination by ethnic Burmese.=20

Not surprisingly, ordinary citizens in this century will continue to =
behave much as their ancestors did going into the last millennium - by =
staying out of the authorities' way as much as possible.=20

Its still a matter of debate what the Burmese were really showing they =
wanted when they voted overwhelming for Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian =
opposition party in a quickly ignored 1990 election.=20

But whatever they wanted there was no doubt they were opposed to =
military rulers who had shown themselves to be incompetent managers.=20

Anyone who talks to ordinary Burmese today knows that what they dearly =
want to see is a return to at least the everyday freedoms and relative =
prosperity Burmese have more often than not enjoyed.=20

The country's intellectuals will also tell you that the current junta is =
on the wrong side of history in turning its back not only on the =
freedoms that are at the heart of Burmese Buddhism but also democratic =
aspirations that so inspired the nationalist movement in the years =
before independence.=20


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<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT =
face=3DHelvetica,Arial size=3D2>South=20
China Morning Post </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT =
face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2>Saturday, January 1, 2000</FONT><FONT color=3D#003300 =
face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2><B></B></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT color=3D#003300 =
face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2><B>ASIA MILLENNIUM</B></FONT> </DIV>
<P align=3Dleft>
<DIV align=3Dleft><!--headline--><FONT size=3D4><B>Democracy beckons =
people as=20
generals remain locked in past</B> </FONT><FONT face=3DHelvetica,Arial=20
size=3D2><B></B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DHelvetica,Arial size=3D2><B>BURMA by =
WILLIAM BARNES in=20
Bangkok</B></FONT> <!--article--></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>This millennium holds the promise of dramatic change in Burma - a =
return=20
perhaps to the values of liberalism and democracy that briefly flowered =
after=20
independence a quarter of a century ago. </DIV>
<P>The current military rulers, who have held the country in an iron =
grip for 37=20
years, have repeatedly claimed to be acting consistently with =
traditional values=20
and attitudes.=20
<P>The generals claim to be protecting and unifying the country much as =
did King=20
Anawratha, who reigned from 1044 to 1077, did.=20
<P>Since King Anawratha, Burmese rulers have managed, at least until the =
British=20
arrived in the 19th century, to be able to claim control over the whole =
country.=20

<P>In practice, this control was often nominal, with virtually =
autonomous states=20
paying lip service to Burmese sovereignty.=20
<P>But as long as the Burmese king could set himself up as the protector =
of the=20
national religion, Theravada Buddhism, and retain the loyalty of a =
scheming=20
court, his rule as a god-king was unquestioned.=20
<P>Today's authoritarian military rulers, by scrapping even their own =
1974=20
constitution that created a one-party state a decade ago, would =
certainly seem=20
to have embraced old-style despotism.=20
<P>Yet however tough the old kings might have been, they undoubtedly had =
- at=20
least for ethnic Burmans - the public's moral sanction to rule.=20
<P>Or, as the historian Josef Silverstein has noted of the military =
regime=20
introduced by the General Ne Win: "It was a poor imitation of the past." =

<P>If General Ne Win and his cohorts claimed to have been picking up the =
threads=20
of pre-colonial culture in the years after civilian rule was overthrown =
in 1962,=20
in practice they borrowed from models of communist Eastern Europe and =
retained=20
much of the structure of the colonial administration.=20
<P>The junta reeks of arbitrary rule, a hankering for the authoritarian =
past and=20
domination by ethnic Burmese.=20
<P>Not surprisingly, ordinary citizens in this century will continue to =
behave=20
much as their ancestors did going into the last millennium - by staying =
out of=20
the authorities' way as much as possible.=20
<P>Its still a matter of debate what the Burmese were really showing =
they wanted=20
when they voted overwhelming for Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian opposition =
party in=20
a quickly ignored 1990 election.=20
<P>But whatever they wanted there was no doubt they were opposed to =
military=20
rulers who had shown themselves to be incompetent managers.=20
<P>Anyone who talks to ordinary Burmese today knows that what they =
dearly want=20
to see is a return to at least the everyday freedoms and relative =
prosperity=20
Burmese have more often than not enjoyed.=20
<P>The country's intellectuals will also tell you that the current junta =
is on=20
the wrong side of history in turning its back not only on the freedoms =
that are=20
at the heart of Burmese Buddhism but also democratic aspirations that so =

inspired the nationalist movement in the years before independence. =
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