Ang_San_Su_Chi

Task 1 Discuss the reasons why Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle for democracy in Myanmar (Burma) has been unsuccessful so far. Identify what you consider to be the most important reason. Question 1 – Essay Plan N.B. Aung San Suu Kyi is referred to as A.S.S.K in this plan and as Suu Kyi in the essay. Burma/Myanmar will be referred to as Myanmar. Introduction I. Discuss title briefly. Summarise A.S.S.K’s involvement. II. Outline four main reasons for lack of democracy; the rule of the junta, ethnic diversity, A.S.S.K and NLD’s refusal to compromise on their demands, and the failure of all three to reach agreement on how democracy can be achieved. III. Highlight main reason for lack of democracy as lack of agreement between all parties. Main Body of Essay Main reasons why still no democracy in Myanmar. I. Junta. How they came to power, and have held onto it; lack of human rights, isolationism, who their allies are. Discuss the new constitution and forthcoming elections in November 2010. II. A.S.S.K. Discuss reasons for her stance and involvement in democracy movement; how she has tried to achieve democracy. Discuss lack of communication and failure to compromise between her, junta and pro-democracy movement. III. Ethnic Diversity. Summarise diversity in Myanmar, how it came about and discuss its contribution to failure of full democracy. Conclusion Refer again to essay question. Re-iterate most important reason why democracy has still not been achieved. Draw all points together. 192 WORDS Question 2. Discuss the reasons why Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle for democracy in Myanmar (Burma) has been unsuccessful so far. Identify what you consider to be the most important reason. On her return to Myanmar in 1988 Suu Kyi became leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and has remained the focal point for the demands for democracy in the country. Although she has shown unwavering determination in her efforts she has been unsuccessful so far, for 3 main reasons. Myanmar has been ruled since the 1960’s by a military junta who have been equally firm in rejecting demands for a democratic government from Suu Kyi and the NLD; it is also a country with a large, ethnically diverse population, each group having its own interpretation of what they want for the future. However, the most important reason is the inability and unwillingness to discuss and reach agreement from all the parties. The junta has ruled since 1988 as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, and have continuously denied the people of Myanmar a democratically elected government, citing as their reason that to do so would weaken the fragile state of the Union of Myanmar. They have suppressed peaceful protests with violence, notably against protests held by Buddhist monks in 1988 and 2007, have put many leaders and supporters of democracy into prison, and have tried to weaken support for the pro-democracy movement by forcibly repatriating whole villages and away from areas where the support for democracy is strong. In 1989, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won the elections with an overwhelming majority; however, the SLORC refused to allow them to accede to power, and instead many leaders and supporters were put into prison. Suu Kyi has been placed under house arrest on several occasions, and had her movements severely restricted in between times. They have continued to refuse demands for a democratic government. As the West has introduced sanctions against Myanmar, with the support of the Suu Kyi and the NLD, the junta has instead developed trade links with China, Russia and India, their nearest neighbours. At no time have they demonstrated any willingness to discuss any way forward for the future but their own. Suu Kyi has been a strong, principled and charismatic leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) since 1988. Despite periods of being under house arrest and in between those periods, travel restrictions, she has remained committed to non-violent and peaceful protest against the present regime, and has resolutely refused to concede in the demands for a democratic government, even to the extent of refusing to leave Myanmar when allowed to do so because of the illness of her late husband. This would appear to be partly due to her Buddhist beliefs, and partly to her own political background. In her book “Letters from Burma”, she refers to her own beliefs and the involvement of Buddhist monks in the struggle for democracy. In addition she has encouraged trade embargoes against Myanmar and requested that tourists do not come to the country until democracy has been achieved as she believes that tourism only lends support to the junta. This is reinforced by John Pilger in his report on Burma. However she is not without her critics who believe that her actions may have been counter-productive. Ma Thanegi was once her personal assistant and spent three years in prison because of her involvement. In her article “The Burmese Fairy Tale” she asks why there cannot be economic and political improvement on the same agenda and talks of “Ma Suu” having missed an opportunity to constructively discuss progress with the junta from a position of strength. In the article she also states that ‘we are tired of wasting time......we need everyone to face facts’. To add to the stance held by the junta and Suu Kyi the complexity of the problems created by the ethnically diverse population in Myanmar also need to be considered. In the late 19th century Myanmar was under colonialist rule by Britain. Immigration by people form countries such as China and India was encouraged, and this resulted in different ethnic groups settling in various divisions and states within the country, each developing their own interpretations of democracy and freedom. One example of this is the Mons who want independence, not unlike some of the Basque people in the Basque region of Spain. Suu Kyi’s father, Aung San, warned against this in 1947, and talked of the need to set aside differences and pull together. After his assassination six months later, his words proved prophetic, and there were insurgencies against the then government, with the result that many different political parties were formed. This conflict has been viewed by some as contributing to the political and economic instability in Myanmar, further complicating the efforts for a democratically elected government. As an example, in 1990 over 200 different political parties were registered with the election committee. The question was asked why Suu Kyi’s struggle for democracy has been unsuccessful so far, and what is the most important reason for this. The junta’s own refusal to discuss the democratic future of the country and their human rights record is a contributing factor, as is Suu Kyi’s firm, principled stance on the demands for democracy. The demands by the various ethnic groups have also contributed to the lack of success in the struggle for democracy, and the lack of progress. However, if all these reasons are viewed together, it can be seen that the most important reason for the lack of success in achieving democracy is the fact that each of the above are holding to their own demands for whatever reason. Neither is willing to concede, and no-one is willing to provide a starting point for discussion on the way forward for Myanmar. 799 Words References: Baugh, Tim; Brickley, Peter; Perryman, Leigh-Ann (2005) Making Sense of the Arts (OU) Aung San Suu Kyi Letters From Burma Ma Thanegi The Burmese Fairy Tale (Resource booklet, OU) Stanley Weiss, International Herald Tribune Interview with Burma’s Ma Thanegi Pilger, John Burma:Land of Fear (DVD, OU) Internet site networkmyanmar.org Internet site asiapacific.anu Task 2 Question 1 In the feedback I received for the first assignment, some of the points were the supporting of arguments from the text, and using a good academic style when writing an assignment. I had also omitted to include a reference. We also discussed in tutorials the problem in deciding what information to include and what to leave out. Question 2 In this assignment I have tried to keep in mind the feedback I received on TMA 01, trying to support my arguments, being more objective in what material to include. I did this by first having a ‘thought shower’, next categorising these thoughts under four main headings and then going through my notes and ongoing list of references to decide what information I was going to include that would best support my arguments. I also remembered to submit a reference with the assignment. 139 WORDS