April 1, 2016

Time for action not words

Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi  yesterday saw the fulfillment of the democratic dream for which she had labored so hard and at such personal cost. Her close political ally, Htin Kyaw, was sworn in to the presidential role from which Suu Kyi herself is barred under the constitution written by the outgoing military.

To judge by the international media coverage of the ceremony, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. “The Lady” as she is affectionately known had triumphed.  Burma is back on the path toward stability and justice.  Or is it?

It had been widely assumed that Suu Kyi’s failure to tackle the marginalization of Burmese Muslims, particularly the persecuted Rohingya minority, was due to her reluctance to provoke the military junta. Thus the Nobel Peace Laureate could make a few comforting noises about problems that would need to be addressed in due course and her fans around the world were satisfied.  To judge from yesterday’s wall-to-wall media coverage, they have not changed their minds. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)

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