Burmese people carry yoke of junta's survival

by Zai Dai
KNG News
12 November 2008

In Burma democracy has been taboo for the military junta. On the contrary pragmatically Burmese citizens have never dared to seriously aspire for civilian rule regardless of useless sanctions and pressure on the regime for nearly half a century.

While democracy has been taboo there has been no dearth of ways of making money by the regime's officials across the country.

Recently there have been certain ways to raise financial capital worth 5,000 million Kyat (est. US $4,098,361) in Kachin State by Phakant Military Strategic Commander and Northern Command Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win respectively.

Indeed this is the transitional period in this country for civilian rule as the regime wants to show this to the international community.

Meanwhile such taboo of the regime has in turn threatened its civilians who are the main root of the tree. In fact democracy is the catalyst for making money particularly by the authority.

The more pressure for democracy the more manipulation of unconditional economic snatches is being culminated in the State

It is often murmured that "we are fed up," it's nonsense," "its yaik sa akwek bae," of the authority from thousands and thousands mouths of innocent citizens. Of course there have been no legitimate and concrete laws and orders of one's security, one's rights and one's claim for both individual personnel and community as such, it has been a common motto referred that, there is a new way of law and order implication of power building along with every newcomer of military authority in the State.

This habit of the regime has spread virus among the body politics of Kachin State communities where anti-body has survived as the armed dictator.

These days unfortunate and socio-political slander of the State created by down from the lowest level of local military/authority up to the Northern Commander have come along with the flow and process of democratic engagement. Obviously such is the habit that certain pugnacity by authorities not on the basis of positive attitudes but on account of personal entity.

It has been just about one month after incident of the ban of Laiza-Myitkyina border trade road for a month by the oral order of Northern Commander Soe Win. Indeed the road has been the only trading route for the Myitkyina public whose export and import business depends on as it is vital for the main Kachin ceasefire group, Kachin Independence Organization and its armed wing Kachin Independence Army (KIO/A) headquarters in terms of both military and economic means. It was the first crude action that Maj-Gen Soe Win had conducted after taking over as Northern Commander. Meanwhile it is said that Soe Win has been bribed millions and millions of Kyat by local armed groups, business guilds and individuals.

Of course saying that the order has been issued due to the ban on Chinese food makes little sense because it could have been prohibited without closing the road.

This is how the tradition of military dictatorship has been inherited up to Soe Win. As tradition in the State such bans of Laiza-Myitkyina trade road has been entertained whenever certain commander or despot is mad to display his power before local people on the one hand and to threaten the KIO/A on the other hand.

Consequently the last regime check post on the road to Myitkyina-Laiza, of Lajayang has been the only check post which benefited most. Once there is very tight checking or strict prohibition of vehicles running to and from between Myitkyina and Laiza, the check post would accumulate millions and millions of bribe in cash. Convincing that the plot is usually initiated with the consensus of Northern Commander with whom the action branch would share bribed money as much as demanded by the highest one. Locally, it is said that, "Lajayang check post has profited much in terms of money in recent ban of the road."

Along with that there was massive demand of money by Lt-Col Khin Maung Cho, former Military Strategic Command Commander of Phakant last September before he was shifted. A certain local jade dealer unveiled that the plot is somewhat the same as the above as the Phakant-Myitkyina road had been banned for vehicles suddenly by the order of the military strategic commander. For that in order to ensure smooth movement of vehicles of companies, they had to pay. Therefore he continued that instead of the loss of all sort of investment in jade mine, companies had agreed to pay 300,000 Kyat (est. US $246) to 500,000 Kyat (est. US $410) to the Phakant military strategic commander.

Meanwhile when he eventually figured put the demand the sum might have been 3,000 million Kyat (est. US $2,459,016) since there are hundreds and hundreds of companies engaged in jade mining project in Phakant.

The rang of full swing consummation by way of justification of the democratic demand of the world

Another one-act-show performed for the international community on the process of democratic election of 2010 has been planned very systematically. There is a special policy and manipulated word among junior officers among the police, narcotics, advocates, lawyers, military officers and the rest saying that, "This is the time to do 'awaq saah' (making of money in full). Having been implanted very recently just after last Referendum, the strategic scheme of justification so as a response of democratic election has been laid to entertain the world.

Of course every level of business of the regime has been targeted a single point of 2010 election (regime's led election). As former dethroned/dismissed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt once said at a certain judges' officiating training, "Dear boys think you are right and do what you do think is right. Let the others expose your mistakes and what your works are wrong only."

In this context every department will embrace the business that benefits both. For instance narcotic corps will arrest all sorts of drug traders or addicts as it is Naypyidaw's instruction.

Whatever comes in relation to the issue, the concerned officer would ask for bribe as much as he could from the clients beginning from results of narcotic urine test on whether it is positive or negative. Suppose when an arrested drug addict wants negative results of his urine test, he has to pay 1.2 million Kyat which is balanced with estimated US $984. Since Northern Commander Soe Win has arrived, there have been massive arrests on drug issues in Kachin State.

Conclusion
Democracy is taboo to the rulers and the term civil democracy in our context has been very upside down than those of the west. On the one hand whenever there is sanction and pressure from international community, the regime as such has succumbed with certain response of manipulated action.

As a matter of fact the targeted arrow of the regime has innocent citizens hazardously.

Meanwhile there has been special scrutinizing and torture and threats upon those whoever speaks in favor of sanctions and international demand. To some extent there has been arrest and misconduct upon whoever has been struggling for one's survival standing on one's own concept rather not in favor of the regime's centralized social political plots. Therefore the taboo of the term democracy by the regime in turn defines the taboo of the people being the bearers of the yoke to prolong the survival of the regime.

Therefore, would there be no taboo for the people of Burma when they breathe and bear the regime's yoke? Would that really be the taboo of the world around which creates such a trauma rather than a pragmatic solution?