It may seem odd that the Crikey’s readers’ choice for Person of the Decade is a woman who spent the majority of the decade under house arrest, out of the public eye and banned from speaking to the media.
Yet, this decade is largely defined by Aung San Suu Kyi’s imprisonment and the struggle for democracy in Burma.
She was placed under house arrest back in September 2000 and then released 19 months later. After the Depayin massacre in 2003 — when 70 members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party were killed by government forces, she was arrested again and placed under house arrest, as she was deemed “likely to undermine the community peace and stability”.
And that’s where Aung San Suu Kyi stayed, despite the house arrest breaking international and Burmese laws of only five years imprisonment without trial, despite an American trespasser attempting to swim over to her house and causing the arrest to be extended, despite years of campaigning by international politicians and human rights organisations.
Finally, on November 13 this year, she was freed. A decade of very powerful silence.
The perfect choice. A living hero and legend. Not many in the world… but she is definitely one of the tiny club.
I just made mysef laugh and then feel a bit depressed.
I compared in my mind, the character, vision, passion and principles, of Aung San Suu Kyi, with Gillard and Abbott…
Can I ask why Crikey persistently refers to the country as Burma?
Dave, its called Burma as this is what most people refer it to, including our government.. It is usually in recognition that the people who changed the name were unelected and possibly had no right to change the name (the junta changed it in 1989). The UN as a body recognises the name Myanmar, but as far as individual countries do, I think only a handful do (mainly its ASEAN neighbours). My (Thai) ex-wife is the only person who I have ever known to call it Myanmar.
A legend? Hardly. Perhaps Daw Aung San is misunderstood in the west, and her image has been promoted into a legend?
She is the daughter of a legend – a famous general who was assassinated by the British when she was 3. She was spirited out of Burma to Thailand, later to England where she married, and she and her husband returned to Burma for business opportunity. Their incentive for change was to develop business – and this started this movement. She is more legend than real, however. Remember, she’s a widow now, but still the daughter of a famous man, and that is her only claim to power.
Understand the political scene in Burma – the same system has been in place since WW2 – and the people will vote for anyone who offers change, whether it is Aung San or Adolf Hitler! She leads the opposition so she is electable, but she and her party have no clue how to lead or to govern, but have been effective at stirring up interest (rather like Ms Gillard).
House arrest was not a particular hardship – soldiers would guard each end of her street, and this was largely for her her own protection since the government would have been crucified if she had come to harm, and she has many enemies. There are lots of people in Myanmar who would wish her harm.
The Government is sensitive to criticism, and tries to suppress it by controlling communication of all types. IDD is limited in Myanmar, and if one places a trunk call a soldier listens to the conversation and if it is political the call is cut. The internet has been opened to a limited extent.
Myanmar is a satellite of China – as China moves, so does Myanmar to a similar extent. Western governments like to bully Myanmar since they can, where China is too large. The bullying is ineffective since trade is the only weapon and Myanmar’s exports largely go through China and also Singapore where they are rebranded, so the government is not impacted by sanctions – yet the government limits criticism.
It is time for Mar Aung San to fade and perhaps let another, younger group try. She has become divisive by her existence, yet is ineffective as a true leader. Another group may have success.
Aung San is hardly the Woman of the Year, as you have offered.