If Aung San Suu Kyi fails to act, she will go down in history as an unworthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize


https://www

youtube

com/watch?v=NihXxEDFIBM In the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), witnessed a resounding victory but unfortunately, the military junta refused to recognise the results

The military kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years

In spite of her captive years, she kept fighting for the restoration of democracy and for ensuring the fundamental rights of the people

In the 2015 general elections, her party once again achieved a landslide victory

This finally forced the military junta to call Suu Kyi to form the government, and consequently, ended 50 years of military rule

However, she was unable to become president because of a constitutional amendment her father formulated, which debars citizens married to foreigners from taking the presidential office

Therefore, she accepted the position of State Councillor, one that was created solely for her and involved vast powers in governing the country

Today, Suu Kyi is under attack for not taking a stand against the brutality and wave of terror unleashed on the Rohingya Muslims

According to the United Nations (UN), it is estimated that over 270,000 Rohingya Muslims, almost a quarter of the total population, have crossed over to Bangladesh to escape persecution by the Myanmar army

Furthermore, over 1,000 Rohingya people, mainly elderly men and children, have been brutally killed

Satellite images show that whole villages have been razed to the ground

There are chilling stories of elderly people who could not escape and as a result died when their houses were burnt to ashes

It is true that the present brutal attack on the community is in response to the terrorist attacks carried out by the Rohingya insurgent groups on the military and the civilian population, where over 400 soldiers and civilians lost their lives

A UN flash report released in 2016, which was based on oral and documentary evidence, described the mass killings and gang rapes by the armed forces

However, what shocked the conscience of people around the world is the total silence of Suu Kyi, the so-called torchbearer of human rights

Her studied silence can be attributed to her reluctance to alienate her Buddhist constituency

Another reason is that she can do little to reign in the army, as they refuse to accept her decree

Notwithstanding the compulsions, as a human rights champion, she should have spoken out against the brutality, even if it meant resigning from the government

There is already a worldwide opinion building on her deafening silence

Consequently, various well-known activists and peace groups are demanding the withdrawal of the Nobel Peace Prize for her complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims

In fact, over 40,000 people have signed a petition to strip Suu Kyi of her prize

Suu Kyi should take immediate steps to evolve a national reconciliation policy to facilitate the safe return of the refugees from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Indonesia

 She should also consider granting citizenship to the Rohingya Muslims so they can peacefully integrate into society

This will go a long way in generating good will for her as well as for her party

However, if she fails to act, she will go down in history as the woman who was complicit in the brutal killings of the Rohingya people

On the other hand, if she believes that she cannot prevent the army from unleashing a wave of terror on the community, she should have the moral conviction to step down

Such a step will pressurise the army to stop committing this atrocious genocide

Unfortunately, her lust for power has made her turn a blind eye

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flew to Myanmar on an official visit

Instead of putting diplomatic pressure on Suu Kyi over the Rohingya genocide, he sided with Suu Kyi

One of the main reasons for Modi’s silence is that he wants Suu Kyi’s assistance and compliance to launch an offensive on all insurgency operations in Myanmar that is operating against India’s northeast states

The attitude of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is even more perplexing as they have refused to take a stand on the brutality against the Rohingya Muslims

They claim that they cannot comment on the internal affairs of its members, as part of the ‘key principles’ of the association

The first lady of Turkey, Emine Erdogan was recently in Dhaka to meet the Rohingya refugees

She visited the refugee camps at Cox Bazar to assess the situation first hand and to distribute relief supplies

Furthermore, she has promised to take up the matter in the UN General Assembly after consulting her husband

It is strange that a Buddhist country have abandoned the teachings of Gautam Buddha, who advocated non-violence, compassion and brotherhood

If Suu Kyi fails to act, she will go down in history as an unworthy recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize

 She should heed the advice of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

In his open letter to her, he said, “If the political price of your ascension to the highest office is silence, the price is surely too steep… We pray for you to intervene in the escalating crisis and guide your people back towards the path of righteousness

” One can only hope that she will act upon this wise council

In the meantime, the UN should pressure Myanmar’s military junta to put an end to the killing and find a solution to restore peace in the region



Date:14-Sep-2017 Reference:View Original Link