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 |
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