Forgotten Burma

It is sometimes easy to forget that totalitarian states such as Burma still exist. A quick glimpse of the website of one of the few daily newspapers in the country reveals little more than the facade created by government propaganda. Front page news is no more than a series of positive press releases about the government: "Armed Forces Day Exhibition Packed With Visitors." Other inane stories are about nothing: "Basic Tailoring Course Concludes in Salingyi"(Yes, this is a headline on the main page). Try as you might, you won't find a single critical word about the ruling junta or any of its officials. In fact, there's little difference at all between the daily newspapers I found, and the official government website.

In the book, "Finding George Orwell in Burma", author Emma Larkin -- a pseudonym -- brilliantly compares the current state of Burma to the state of Oceania in Orwell's "1984." The dissemination of information in Burma, Larkin writes, is similar to The Party's "newspeak," in "1984." It's a great book, one of the most original pieces of travel writing I've read, and a disturbing study of totalitarianism and its effects. She bases her travels loosely around biographical accounts of the time Orwell spent in Burma with the British Imperial Police, and on the Burma of Orwell's first novel "Burmese Days". What she finds in Burma is a true Orwellian nightmare: a government that controls everything, a population afraid to speak, government informants everywhere, people jailed without reason, and others vanishing altogether.

Her account of the country from the inside parallels reports by human rights groups. Reading an Amnesty International profile of Myanmar is like reading a list of all of the human rights abuses that are possible: violent oppression of ethnic minorities, extrajudicial executions, political prisoners, torture, forced labor. The list is lengthy, and helped the Burmese government earn the dubious honor of being one of the world's most oppressive regimes in 2005.

Some talk of allowing opposition parties, especially the National League for Democracy (NLD), to take part in constitutional reform, was initiated in 2003, but quickly failed. In 2005, General Khin Nyunt, prime minister and perhaps one of the more moderate voices in the military regime, was removed from office and placed under house arrest. Several top officials thought to be loyal to him were also removed and arrested, quelling hope of government reform.

Currently, the outspoken leader of the NLD and Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest. She has been in jail or under house arrest in Burma for 10 of the past 16 years.

But there's hope for Burma's future. The tireless work of dissidents such as Aung San Suu Kyi trying to get information out, of writers such as Larkin telling the Burmese story, of human rights groups pressuring governments to take stronger policy stances on Burmese affairs, and of the diplomacy of other countries will gradually erode the junta's hold. Some of Burma's closest neighbors have grown weary of the isolationism and uncooperative nature of the junta. Several neighboring states are beginning to pressure the regime to release thousands of political prisoners, and to take a quicker path to democratic reform. A report by Associated Press writer Sean Yoong outlined a recent attempt by officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to pressure the Burmese leadership. According to the report some ASEAN members have even talked of seeking to expel Myanmar from Association. But ultimately, cooperation from China and India is needed to help bring about change in Myanmar. So far, China, traditionally Burma's closest ally, and India, which is seeking closer economic ties with the country, have refused to push Burma toward reform.

China's reluctance is understandable: It has little desire to push one of its neighbors toward democracy, an act that could easily create a giant mirror, reflecting its own penchant for squashing opposition and imprisoning dissidents. But helping lead Burma down a more benevolent path could prove to soften the edges of its own international image. And the liberalization of the Burmese economy that would result from democratic reform would prove beneficial to both China and India as they seek greater economic ties with their neighbor in a globalized world.

In Orwell's "1984," the majority of the population of Oceania have been conditioned to a point of thoughtlessness. The only character who is really worth writing about is Winston Smith, who secretly begins a diary, an act of self-expression punishable by death in Oceania. But what Emma Larkin finds in Burma is a population full of passionate free-thinkers. Though their outlets for expression are limited, and poets and teachers have often been imprisoned, Burma's ruling junta has yet to be able to infiltrate the space of the Burmese mind. Free thought flourishes in the people Larkin encounters.

Another difference between the world of "1984" and our modern world is that in Orwell's world, all nations had merged to become three giant, powerful countries. But Burma, in today's international system, is one of many impoverished states, highly susceptible to the wills, wishes and political economies of larger states.

The ruling military of Burma faces pressure from the outside and from within. The government isn't strong enough to face pressure on two fronts. A little nudge from powerful states such as India and China would help, but even without those efforts, Burma's government will eventually collapse. In "1984" The Party of Oceania and the will of Big Brother is unstoppable, but in the case of Burma, history, rather than literature, provides a better glimpse of Burma's future. It may take time, but totalitarian regimes eventually fall.

Let's hope, for the sake of the Burmese people, that change comes sooner than later.


Use THIS LINK to find out what you can do about Myanmar's use of child soldiers.
and HERE for the Free Burma website.
or
HERE to read "Outside" magazine writer Mark Jenkins' fascinating account of trying to sneak into Burma.