Akbayan party joins the international community particularly the Burmese
people in rejoicing over the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi after almost two decades of imprisonment by the ruling Burmese
military junta. This important democratic gain while partial is an important
victory that all democratic forces in solidarity with the Burmese people
must claim. We hope her new-found freedom will bring unity to the different
sections of the Burmese democratic opposition and will pave way for the
complete restoration of democracy and freedom to a country under the firm
grip of a military-backed government.
However, as much as we celebrate this historic event, we must maintain our
guard and vigilance against the Burmese military junta, which inspite of
everything, continues to act as a repressive and totalitarian regime with
total disregard for the right of life, liberty and security.
Truth is, Suu Kyi may be free, but her country is not. The junta continues
to have a tight control on its people. Not even the conduct of the country’s
recent electoral exercise will hide this fact. Large-scale cheating,
violence and other irregularities marred Burma’s elections, which heavily
favoured the political parties backed by the military junta. In fact, many
democratic forces labeled it a sham with Suu Kyi’s party the National League
of Democracy shunning the election so as not to provide the electoral
charade any speck of legitimacy.
Suu Kyi’s detention and subsequent release from incarceration was seemingly
orchestrated to weaken if not fracture Burma’s democratic opposition and in
making certain that she will not be able to participate in the recent
elections. Suu kyi’s release is also widely seen as part of the continuing
effort of the military junta to project a new political image that of which
of a benevolent government committed to democratic reforms. This is despite
the fact that no major reforms were implemented or even though it continues
to violate the rights of its people.
Furthermore, while Suu Kyi is now free from incarceration, we believe, as
long as the military-backed government is in power, her freedom is all but
temporary. We are all witness on how this regime repeatedly used its
repressive powers whenever its authority is seriously challenged. As such,
it is not surprising that Suu Kyi will end up back in jail if ever she
decides to resume her role as the leader of the democratic opposition.
The only way Aung San Suu Kyi and her country will absolutely be free is
through the removal of the illegitimate military-backed regime. In this
regard, we join the Burmese people in calling for the complete repudiation
of the results of the anomalous electoral exercise last November 7. We
firmly support the right of the Burmese people to have truthful, free and
fair elections.
Together with this demand, we call for the urgent convening of the
legitimately elected Parliament/government of Burma based on the results of
the 1990 elections, a political exercise which resulted in the landslide
victory of Suu Kyi’s NLD and which was swiftly invalidated by the military
junta.
We also call for the u*nconditional and immediate release of all Burmese
political prisoners. We demand for an end to the systematic human rights
violations in the land, and a declaration of a nationwide ceasefire to pave
the way for a process of national reconciliation that includes ethnic
nationality groups and the NLD.
Furthermore, we demand access into Burma for UN and ASEAN envoys to
contribute in the resolution of the conflict in Burma. Knowing that the
military-backed Burmese government remains insensitive to the appeal of its
people and the international community to institute democratic reforms,
external pressure remains an important tool to effect change.
Lastly, we call for a review of Burma’s membership to the ASEAN. Despite
ASEAN’s “constructive engagement” policy and “strong advising” to compel the
military junta to initiate reforms, the regime for the last 8 years has not
shown any substantial reform. ASEAN must not be a party to the continuing
repression perpetuated by a brutal state to its own people, much more, have
in its membership list a regime that is not even recognized by its own
people.
Akbayan