Heritage Background: Leaders Without Mirrors - Pastor Timothy Laklem

Leaders Without Mirrors

A great opportunity has been missed and we must take action to not miss the next opportunity. Prime Minister Thaksin initiated the opportunity for the Karen to obtain equality with the Burmese regime around the negotiation table by creating peace negotiations between the KNU and the Burmese military rulers. (In February 2004) This was not just an opportunity opened for talks between the Karen and Burmese, but also an opportunity for the Karen to command the dialogue in advising the Regime for future development for a Democratic Federal Union of Burma.
At first, General Bo Mya led the delegation and bravely negotiated, face to face, with the Regime in Rangoon by speaking not only for the future of the Karen but for the whole of Burma. The outcome was he gained respect not only from the International Community, all the Karen people, but also from other ethnic nationalities and democratic allies. Yet in the third round of talks, the appointed delegation, led by the lower ranks of the KNU, destroyed the environment of continual peace talks with the Burmese Military rulers. This same delegation, led by Thoo Thoo Lay and David Taw, was involved in the failed peace dialogue with the Burmese Military rulers 10 years ago. Today the same team brought yet another failure. I had advised some of the KNU leaders in the Executive Committee, including General Secretary, Pado Mansha to change the delegation team and to set up a new delegation team to bring persuasive dialogue with the Burmese Military rulers, and yet they totally ignored my advice. Any dialogue with the Military rulers that has insincerity, self-agenda, and self-glory or bad image will not bring successful result. I also advised well in advance, that preparation should take place before sitting down at the negotiation table with the Regime, but no one in the delegation was prepared. Because the delegation had a bad image and was ill prepared, the Regime had the upper hand in the talks. Instead of the Regime following the advice of the Karen, the Karen had to follow the Regime demands. The result of the latest round of talks with the Regime is the Karen have lost respect in the face of the Regime, war in some areas has broken out and innocent people are facing death threats and daily suffering. Even if we sent a new delegation to talk right now - it is too late to regain the level of respect with the Regime, which we had initially. The problem is the leadership is not looking to the outcomes, results. Any leadership that does not look back and measure the outcome or results on their decisions is like a leadership without mirrors. How long do our people have to continue to suffer the consequences of the continuous failure under bad leadership? Who will be responsible?
The Bible says that when the righteous thrive, the people rejoice, when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:3
Will the Executive Committee of the KNU leadership still continue to be blind by not seeing that they are part of the problem that caused the Karen conflict? They did not properly handle the problem that arose in the first place. This caused 120,000 Karen refugees to flee into Thailand. The responsibility of these Karen is then thrown onto others, such as the Thai, U.S., E.U., and UNHCR, to take care of our people. Will the Executive Committee continue to make the same mistakes as in the past, by not listening to many advisors, or will they form new leadership which has vision, integrity, ability and responsibility that is respected by all Karen, as they should? We cannot afford any more mistakes, which will prolong our people’s suffering.
Many years I have been giving positive advice to some of the top KNU Leadership to seriously consider the vision in 3 main areas to bring our people out of disaster.

1. Bringing Peace and Stability within the Karen State and Region.
2. Educating and working with the Karen Leadership for long-term governmental management based on high moral principles such as responsibility and accountability.
3. Educating and Maintaining Vision of Development for the people, both short and long term, which includes bringing our people back out of the refugee camps to live peacefully in their homeland.
These 3 main issues have been a great concern for me. Without dealing with these issues, the Karen can go nowhere.
I have been with my own people for almost 30 years and I know the mentality of the leadership very well. All they know is how to fight and retreat. They have no idea how to develop the future of their own people due to lack in these 3 main areas above. At first, I thought to work with the leadership, giving advice etc., but with a leadership that has no integrity or vision, you cannot achieve much.
There are many young Karen leaders who are intelligent and have high morals, yet the old leaders do not want to acknowledge them but abuse the respect given to elders and by holding fast to their old traditions, which will destroy the future of the generations to come. As a result, the younger generation who have lost confidence in the present KNU leadership and are trying to escape to other countries to make a life there.
I raised several urgent issues in the Karen Congress last October to the leadership of the KNU.
ISSUES I RAISED IN THE KAREN CONGRESS in October 2004:
1. EDUCATIONS AND LIFE-SKILLS TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
The education of many young Karen is now critical. The highest education the young people receive in the refugee camps is High School. I mentioned to a US Congressman on his visit to Mae La Refugee Camp, the importance of education for the future generations in the rebuilding of our Karen State and nation. He highly agreed and supports the idea of US Congress to set aside sponsorship for the Karen young people’s education. When I raised this issue in Karen Congress, it went down coldly. There is no initiative program for High School students to study abroad with the exception of a few of the leadership’s own children.
Many of our future generation are dying without a proper education, not only within the refugee camps but also in our own country.
We should be raising up young people to take a leadership role instead of the leadership abusing the respect given by the young people by just using them.

2. FUTURE PLAN FOR RESETTLEMENT OF THE KAREN REFUGEES IN OUR HOMELAND.
I have urged that it is important for the Karen leadership to urgently consider the future of the refugees. It is not only to show their responsibility of their past mistakes. It must be made very clear to the Thai and Burmese that the Karen leaders are responsible for their own people‘s future. We decide our own future and destiny. (One of the 4 Principles laid down by Saw Ba U Gyi). The Karen people belong to the Karen and in their own motherland. We must not allow our future and destiny to be decided by others.   We are thankful to The Royal Highnesses and the Thai Government for allowing our Karen people refuge in Thailand, but every Karen should remember that our country is not in refugee camps neither is it in Mae Sot.
3. BUILDING A STRONG KNLA DEFENSE FORCE FOR FUTURE SECURITY.
Throughout the year General Bo Mya has fortified the KNLA to defend the Karen and to ensure the eventual freedom of the nation.  He knew that without a strong military there would be no effective political body.  The General is also a man of peace who wants nothing more than a unified Karen state.  His desire is to see both the KNU and KNLA strengthened under good leadership for a more secure Karen state.
This should be placed as the highest priority as compared to political talks with no affectivity or any positive results.
The ceasefire issue is between the KNLA and the Burmese Military Regime. For this reason I give my full support before the congress for General Bo Mya to lead the army in the ceasefire talks with the Burmese regime.  To bring about a ceasefire, the military of both sides need to address the issues first, before any political body comes in. This is international ethics. The KNU political leaders should not interfere with military affairs but should respect the KNLA’s leading role in the ceasefire talks with the Burmese military, before any political dialogue can take place.
A former American President, Teddy Roosevelt once said; “Speak softly but carry a big stick”.

4. NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD BE WELL PREPARED IN ADVANCE AND WELL PRESENTED AT THE TABLE.
Negotiations with the Burmese Military rulers must be well prepared and able to win the rights of all Karen at the table. The peace negotiation proposal should be clear and known by all KNU leaders and the results of the negotiation should be available to all Karen.  The Selection of the delegation should be those who have no self-glory and no self-agenda but purely in the interests of the Karen people, the Karen State and Burma as a whole.

5. GODLY LEADERS AND GOOD MANAGEMENT ARE NEEDED.
To have a leadership role means responsibility to make things happen for the benefit of the people, to improve the lives of the people. Today responsibility is tomorrow’s opportunity. Leaders should consider it their priority to evaluate all short term and long term goals on a periodic basis and specific programs should be evaluated by a congress that is a cross section of all Karen people.  Leadership is giving not taking. 
Leaders are public figures, they do not belong to themselves, the people own them.  Everything they do reflects on the people.
Every Karen has a right to question, present their opinion, and to give constructive criticism.   Any KNU leader who is not willing to be accountable to the people in these 3 areas is not a true leader and should stand down. 
Every Karen has a right to protect their national heritage and has a duty to strengthen our political body and protect our national image.  Every Karen includes the Karen soldiers who are laying their lives down daily for their people; Karen who are living overseas and in other countries that desire to return to their homeland; and Karen who are living in our own land and in Burma.
Leadership roles in the KNU should only be taken by those who have the ability to make things happen for the people for the benefit of all Karen.
Not for those who hold the position for many years and don’t know how to use it constructively. We don’t need leadership that just waits for things to happen.  Leaders are called to make things happen. If we have no resources we can manage to find the resources. If we have violence we can create the environment of love and mercy within our people. If we have no justice we can bring righteousness and justice in our community. If our people face poverty we have the ability to bring prosperity. If we face war we have the ability to bring victory for peace. If we see our people running all of the time we can make them stop running and settle down. When they become refugees and shamefully live in small square footage bamboo houses in other countries we have the ability to bring them home and provide them with large pieces of land with proper housing and a life with dignity.  Everything we do must he based on a righteous principle to make things happen for the benefit of the people. A true leader makes things happen for his people instead of people living in refugee camps and running in the jungle, while the leaders are living in the city in nice houses.

I do not blame leaders who live in nice houses in the city while they are working so hard to improve the lives of the people. They deserve that. True leaders cannot separate from their own people.

One example, in early January this year a war broke out at the Battalion 201 area. Many Karen IDP and foreigners were celebrating the Karen New Year. The Burmese army came and disturbed the celebration and made everyone run into Thailand. While Col Nedar Mya and his troops facing with the enemies and pushed them back. During that time, many Thai villagers helped them with the humanitarian assistance from the little that they had, to show their sympathy. Sad to say, we did not see key leader in KNU, EC committee, show their sympathy for their own people or even any kind of financial support during that time. On many similar occasions in the past, people feel that they have been neglected (by their own leaders, except for a few KNU officers try to manage to be with their people. There are a few key EC leaders who can travel overseas whenever they have a Burmese democratic lobby. They jump on the plane to travel tens of thousands of miles to join the lobby. Yet we hardly see them when their own Karen people are running for their lives just an hour away.

I have mentioned again and again that the image of the leadership is very important. If you have a good image, your people and the Karen State will gain respect and recognition; if you have a bad image, then your people and the Karen State will be looked down upon by the international community.
The Karen needs good management under good leaders. Yet they keep placing leaders with no ability and putting them in key positions and they become stumbling blocks for the leadership who do have ability to improve the future life of all Karen. For 20-30 years, the KNU,EC leaders have had a daily executive meeting. An executive meeting is designed for planning and strategy for work. They have the meeting but no work results. The ones who are really working are the soldiers and the people who are laying down their lives daily. If the KNU leadership had a history of having a vision and ability of knowing how to develop for the future, then the Karen situation today would be different and more positive.
All these issues are based on the truth and sincerity, issues that I and Col. Nerdah having been raising, have been not only ignored by the some of the KNU leaders, but also seen as criticism and negativity. Due to their stubbornness and refusal to address these issues, many lives are still running and dying daily. Every day costs. The time wasted is killing off our Karen people and their future each day. If the KNU leadership is aiming for a future democratic government within the Karen State, then they need to come out of their old mentality and to learn to accept other people’s opinions and constructive criticisms. The time is too late for this generation to see a peaceful and good life, because our generation has been ruined by some of the old leadership. We can only rely on God‘s miracle to see things happen in our lifetime. The reason we have strongly raised these issues is because we want to see a good future for our people. Not just keep dying off and leaving a continual curse to our own people and the future generations.
Many of the KNU-EC leaders do not want to pass on their positions to the younger generation, accusing the younger men that they not know what they know. Yet what they know is not only harming their own generation but also the younger generation who hold the future and bringing them nowhere. Not only do they not realize they are killing off their own generation, but also killing the future of the next generation. They appear to enjoy holding the position and title without concerning the plight of their own people. Many of the younger generation do respect the wisdom of their elders who have brought good results for the younger generation which is automatically part of our culture yet, it is not disrespectful for the younger generation not to follow the older when there has been no history of good results for the future generations. Age does not automatically ensure wisdom.
Some of the KNU-EC Leaders in Mae Sot today have lost the focus of what their priorities are, in caring for the plight of their own people.  Their focus has changed to the Democracy issue instead of their own national issue. The democracy issue is important, but should not be the main focus. The main focus is the civilian Karen’s life and that of the Karen soldiers. Although it is good to promote Democracy, it is vitally important not to reject the well being of our own people.
Many international countries are focusing on promoting the person rather than the suffering of the people and they are stubborn in their own ideal. Yet in over 15 years there is no solution and Burma has not progressed on the road to Democracy. The international community should not just spotlight one person, but should put the spotlight on the people as a whole, bringing to light the true condition of Burma. The Ethnic Nations of Burma need international support.  The international community should realize that democracy in Burma must reflect what the people of Burma want, not what outsides forces determine it should be.
In my view, Politics is not personal issue, but it is the people issue, serving in the interest of the people is the number one priority, When you look in the dictionary under politics, there is nothing solid about the definition of politics as in serving the interests of the people. It only mentions power and rulership of government.
The solution for Burma today, is a good leadership with a ’father’s heart’ for the people, willing to do anything, bringing healing to the nation and to bring peace and improvement to the lives of the people.
 Upon my return from the UK in October last year, my patience with these  Karen leaders came to the limit, their legacy to their people is sending our people to refugee camps, homelessness and non-identity. Many of these innocent people are still running for their lives. I don’t want the past failure of the old leadership to affect not only the present generation but also future generations. I came to the realization that to achieve a future for the Karen people, I would have to act on my own initiative, working together with the younger Karen commanders and leaders to bring peace and stability and enable the future development of the nation. I believe that the destiny of these future generations belongs to us. We want to pass on to the next generation - a good future. The past mistakes of the old leaders are painful enough for all of us in this generation to take. We will need to work twice as hard to correct their mistakes and go forward to a better future for the next generation to live as human beings in a peaceful environment.
Old leadership here has nothing to do with age. It means leadership that has been in position for to long, lacking ability and a good plan to bring a solution that will result in development for the cause. They continue on in their leadership position until they’re old and die, leaving continuous pain that they have caused to their own people. Moreover, they raise up the same kind of leadership as they already have, so that the problems carry on in their own traditional way and causes more problems and longer suffering for their own people.

1. BRINGING PEACE AND STABILITY WITHIN THE KAREN STATE AND REGION
Before we can do any major project or development and benefits to the majority of people, our first priority is to bring Peace and Stability within the Karen State and the Region. 56 years of conflict and war between the Burmese Junta and ethnic nationalities has disastrous affects causing pain and suffering to 50 million people in the whole of Burma.
In my near 30 years experience working in the war-zone and ethnic areas as a missionary, I have found that the root of the suffering of innocent people is in the leadership, not only the military Junta but also our own leadership. Some have an arrogant and violent spirit. If they do not get what they want - they kill, even their own people. Out of that wrong kind of leadership on all sides, the result is drug trade, illegal immigrants, sex trade, child abuse, refugees, IDPs, HIV Aids and other serious diseases as well as poverty. Innocent people have to bear the consequences of bad leadership. None of the leaders have taken responsibility for their own mistakes nor have they any desire to correct themselves. Neither have they come up with a vision and solution to better the lives of the people
2. EDUCATING AND WORKING WITH THE KAREN LEADERSHIP FOR LONG-TERM GOVERNMENTAL MANAGEMENT BASED ON GODLY PRINCIPLES SUCH AS RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
Working side by side with the Karen leadership is an important strategy to assure that they don’t make further mistakes that will continue to affect innocent civilians. Apart from giving advice to the leadership, we are raising up a voice for justice for the people, avoiding smaller problems becoming bigger problems later on.

For example, I was there giving advice to the KNU leadership since 1988, and 5 years before the fall of Manerplaw (the KNU Headquarters), I predicted something like that would happen if they didn’t take notice of the signs of immorality and pride within the leadership.
If the present executive leadership continues to hold power without bringing any good results to their own people, then they are no different from the military dictatorship of Burma. If they hold power without any responsibility or accountability to the people, then their acts are no different from that of criminals, because people’s lives are being threatened daily.  If the current leadership would see its arrogance and make the changes necessary then I would give my support.
Many of the younger leadership have grown up only knowing fighting and hardship and they have no chance to see beyond the present situation. We have been working on educating them to have a vision and positive outlook for the future of their own people. It is good to educate the younger leaders because their response is immediate, bringing benefit to the people quicker.
3. EDUCATING AND MAINTAINING VISION OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PEOPLE, BOTH SHORT AND LONG TERM, WHICH INCLUDES BRINGING OUR PEOPLE BACK OUT OF THE REFUGEE CAMPS TO LIVE PEACEFULLY IN THEIR HOMELAND.
The majority of the Karen refugees are farmers. They have been locked up in refugee camps in Thailand for more than a decade and are getting on in years. Many of the children and young people that have grown up in the refugee camps have no idea how to cultivate land. Many of the Internally Displaced are in the same condition. The war has basically destroyed a whole generation, not only their education but also their moral. To be able to develop basic livelihoods such as agriculture and farming including goat, fish and cattle farming as well as other educational programs, there is obviously a great need to re-educate the younger generation. At first this is a slow process due to lack of education and vision of the local leadership and we often have to bear the frustration and pain of their failures on many occasions, but once they begin to understand, the progress will be swift.
For us it is so painful to see the constant suffering of the people in the midst of the corruption and immorality of the leadership. Even those of us who live in the foreign countries are better off, who have risked our lives and gone through pain, how much more it is for the people who live inside Burma, constantly going through pain and suffering. Instead of being discouraged, it has motivated me and my team to strive for a better life for the people. The question is: Is there any hope or answer? Yes, we have.
The KNU is the honorable political symbol and mother organization, which stands for freedom of all of the Karen. History has shown the KNU has stood for the rights of all Karen, upholding the 4 Principles of our First Karen President, Saw Ba U Gyi and other KNU leaders. In the past, soldiers, civilians and many foreigners have given their lives for the future cause of all Karen, the regaining of our motherland and freedom of all Karen from the brutality of the Burmese Regime.
Sad to say, today the KNU name has been tarnished by its present leadership, not all, but namely those of the Executive Committee. The reputation of the KNU has been ruined by a handful of men with little or no integrity or accountability who were the main contributors to the downfall of the Karen. It is the duty of all Karen, whether living overseas, or in Burma, or along the borders - to raise up their voice and select Godly leaders who are willing to serve in the interests of their own Karen people and for the future of all Karen, to bring Godly reform and preserve our honorable history.
I would like to encourage many of the KNU leaders who faithfully serve our nation and people through their long struggle. We as leaders represent the people, we must not allow ourselves to float around just to maintain our position.  Rather than serving and speaking up for the interest of people, it is vital for the leaders which are called to make history, not to float around with a handful of leaders that creates a bad environment for our people that brings us nowhere. We represent all of the people. We do not represent a few individual leaders in KNU, EC that serve for their own interests. Every KNU leader has a right to stand up and raise a voice to protect their own people. We are not called to serve few but we are called to serve many.  History proves to us that many KNU leaders are brave enough to fight against the brutality of a military regime for more than five decades. At the same time we must not forget to speak out bravely if anything is wrong within our body. This is the true nature of leadership which is full of passion for his own people.  Nothing can stop him to stand alongside for the interest of people.

This has nothing to do with disunity. Being as a leader, before we speak out to the public to challenge them to have unity. We must have a foundation of unity within our nature and corrector based on righteousness, high morals, justice, and vision that comes along with the ability to draw people to unite. Otherwise we are just blowing in the wind.

Response to KNU Expulsion of Ps Timothy Laklem
If we want to see victory for our revolution over our enemies, then we must revolutionize within ourselves first. That means our thoughts our aim and actions must be clear before our people. If we want to rule the country, we must have a mentality and corrector of leadership and ability to rule the country. Otherwise we are a bunch of rebels who are rebellious as well as rob from our own people.

Much of the media misrepresents us as an armed rebel group which is painful enough for us to hear. Many times I have to argue with the media and fight for our Karen rights, explaining that we are not an armed rebel group. We are group of people in this part of the world with a right to own and live in our motherland peacefully. Like other peoples in their own countries. For example, if anyone who comes and violates your home and land and abuse your family, what would you do? Would you defend your family or would you run away? We have a right to defend our land and our people’s right to push them off, the same as other countries men defend their land.

Last KNU congress 2004, many Karen from inland, border area, and Karen from oversea including foreigner and foreign diplomats would like to see and expect new KNU,EC leader to take place.  But result came out the same old team again which cause many to be discouraged who heard the news.  The only way for Karen to have good future and strong united KNU then the leadership within KNU must be changed.  They say they are collective leaders but the whole system that they use to choose a leader is not based on desire of their own people or even their own soldiers who lay down their life for the country.

Even though they see the reality and the evidence of suffering of their own people from their own mistakes right now through this article, these leaders will take no notice or action to bring change because they have been blind for so long and you give them a mirror and they still do not see.  The conclusion is the EC leaders have no desire to seek change and develop to make a better future.  Some have been in the same position for more than 30 years without bringing any improvement and their attention is continually to hold on to position and power until they completely destroy the future of all Karen.

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:23, a man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
God is giving us eyes not only to look at others and our surroundings but also to look to at ourselves in the mirror, the mirror being the Word of God.  This is the standard by which we should live our lives.  We cannot solely look at the military rulers in Burma and point our finger at the atrocities toward the Karen.  But we should look at ourselves first.  Leaders without mirrors are leaders that never evaluate themselves or their own actions.  They are not accountable to anyone and are full of pride in thinking that they are always right. 

For many years our Karen people have not only faced military oppression but also the wrong kind of leadership from within their own people.  They can’t even raise their own voice or cry out for justice.  As a result of this, many Karen have had to leave their homeland for a foreign country.  Some of them are with tears not knowing if they can ever return to their motherland to see their relatives and loved ones.  Some are continue to suffer in refugee camps and many are suffering within their homeland, including the soldiers.  The future of the Karen is bleak.  The answer is nowhere at this point.  I have nothing against the current KNU leadership personally and I am not seeking to gain for my own agenda.  I simply would like to say that I am quite tired of seeing the continuous suffering of our people.  For over 25 years standing with my own people, I have poured out resources, energies, time and effort, to stand with them and the soldiers, and with the difficulties they have faced.  At the same time for nearly ten years I have not been able to be together with my family because of the threats from the Burmese Military Intelligence.  Apart from visiting from time to time and knowing that my children are growing up without a father near to them, and many times on my bed at night, thinking that I will never have a time again to play together with them while they are young.  I also knew that the time lost would never return.  The opportunity to be with them while they’re young is gone forever.  This proves my love and sacrifice for my people, the Karen.

If I have to carry this much pain then how much more must our people, who have lost their own children, who are separate from their loved ones, seeing the children that have lost eyes, lost hands and legs, especially the young Karen soldiers, who have faced death threats daily and face their enemies to protect the country and the people, also not knowing how long they have to carry the cost.  I think of our soldiers without pay, with Malaria and other diseases, without proper food for nutrition.  Many times I go there and see what they’re eating.   They do not have fish paste except salt and chili and rice.  In time of war crisis, they have to eat the smelly rice and on many occasions they have no food to eat.  Soldiers that have families can only visit them once or twice a year.  Many of them do not even have enough money to buy a grass roof to shelter their family.  And yet they stayed faithful and are determined to fight for their country and to protect their people.  I would like to salute and give the high respect for the bravery of our soldiers who are determined to see the freedom of our people. 

How many soldiers in other countries can compare to our soldiers?  What other soldiers, under such difficult conditions, would still fight for their country?  As for me, as a leader, if I cannot improve their situation as well as our Karen people, who have gone through so much pain, then I don’t want to be their leader, not even for a minute.  Without any improvement, I would feel so ashamed to be called their leader.  There is nothing to be put on pride or arrogance as a leader.  If I cannot improve their situation, I would rather hand over leadership to someone who has the ability to take over to improve our people’s lives.  This would be my highest achievement, to see the well being of our people. 

Since the fall Marneplaw, the (headquarters of KNU), not only does the Thai government have to carry the burden of a massive Karen refugee problem, but many Thai soldiers have to separate from their families for the protection of the Karen refugees.  Moreover, many Thai soldiers die in the line of duty, for the Karen conflict.  For example, last year two Thai soldiers were brutally murdered by some of the Karen armed group at the 6th Brigade area, inside Thailand.  One of them was a Thai Karen soldier.  Yet this armed group after shooting him grabbed the soldier into Karen land.  Later on he was brutally tortured and murdered by the same group.  It is sad to see Karen killing Karen.

As soon as I got back from Australia, Colonel Nedar Mya and I immediately had a meeting with a Thai military commander and other Thai military officers at a border town called Meson.  They all explained to us with pictures and evidence, how brutally the soldier was murdered by the Karen armed group.  As soon as the meeting finished, we both went to the home of Pado Mansha, the General Secretary of KNU, as well as other top KNU leaders and explained their situation, giving them advice to have immediate investigation for the sake of the Karen refugees and Karen soldiers that live along the Thai Burmese border.  We gave them advice to bring these murderers to justice as soon as possible in an appropriate way.  They knew the one who caused the problem but until now nothing had been brought to justice.  How can you live in other people’s homes and murder their children, yet have no concern for the justice of the family that you stay with?  If they can ignore the injustice towards the Thai soldier, while they are still living in Thailand, how much more will they do towards our own people?  There are many cases of injustice that are ignored by these leaders within the Karen.  How many criminal acts such as these have occurred (perpetrated by some Karen), while our people have to face injustice while the current leadership covers up the truth?

I still remember Gen Saw Bo Mya’s speech on revolution day last year.  In his speech he said, “Leaders are called to serve their own people.  Service of well being of our people is our number one priority.  Leaders must rule our people based on righteousness and justice.  Leaders need to gain the respect from the people.  Without the respect of the people we cannot win this war.  We need to win the crowd.”

Conflict within the Karen and other problems are mostly from injustice within us.  We cannot point the finger towards the Burmese military regime while certain elements of our leadership perpetrate similar injustices.  If the Burmese oppress and murder our people because they want to take our resources then because we are Karen, and have faced 55 years of oppression isn’t this bad enough for our people.  But no, there are certain Karen who oppress their own based with injustice and the truth of this is far worse than military rule by Burma.  This kind of mentality is no different from communist and dictatorship mentality.  Although they may not be a military dictatorship, they can be a political dictatorship.  Their actions are no different from a military dictatorship.  The outcome is the same.  Today the KNU executive committee is in the hands of a few communist leaders and their faithful followers whose main concern is their own power.  And their ideas and doctrine are flooded into the system, without the will of the people. 

It is a duty for all Karen to raise up their voices to reform and establish a new KNU leadership that is righteous and just, leadership that loves their people and works for the common good.  We urgently need to form, a new government, by the people and for the people.  It is the only way to make a united body that will bring freedom for all the Karen.  Let us make history together.

This is an open letter of my beliefs.  It comes from my vast experience and more importantly it comes from my heart.  I would welcome any investigation into my character and/or actions.  If I have done something that has jeopardized my beloved Karen, I would want to know about it so that I could change.  I am always ready to change for the good.  I challenge the current KNU-EC leaders to do the same.

Serving the people is the duty of all Karen and no one should stop us from achieving these Godly goals.

What will happen tomorrow for our future depends on how we act today.  All Karen have the right to vote on what kind of leadership they want.  All Karen have right to choose what kind of future they want.  All Karen have a right for what kind of justice system they want.  It would be a disaster to leave our future of the young generation in the hands of a few leaders who do not have an idea how to develop and bring a good future for their own family.

Without reading carefully, some Karen may misunderstand and think that this article is against the KNU.  I myself am a KNU and make KNU stronger since the fall of Marneplaw and my intention is to bring down the leadership that destroys the image of KNU for nothing.  When you read carefully, you will know this article will strengthen KNU more than ever which belongs to our Karen.  I would like to encourage all Karen to lift up their voice to present their own opinion freely for the sake of many Karen that are still suffering.  We may live well inside our own country or a foreign country but we must not forget 90% of our people are going through a tough time.  Only a dead Karen does not raise his voice and ignores the cause of his own people.

Proverbs 31:8,9  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

I would also like to challenge all KNU, EC leaders that before they sing the KNU Karen national anthem, they should check their conscience and actions towards their own people and examine whether their motive aligns with what they are singing or not.  If not, then they are not worthy to sing before our flag and be a leader in the first place of our people.

May God bless you and be with you all. 

Pastor Timothy.

The Bible says that a bad tree will bear bad fruit.
Before we can bring freedom from oppression from outside regimes, we need to see freedom within our Karen first.
The Bible says in Proverbs 14:34 that godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

Researched and written by Rev. Dr Timothy.