By Jonathan Thang

Explanation of misunderstanding in my previous article:

A few weeks ago, some of my friends and acquaintance called me regarding my previous articles, particularly the word I used “Burmanization”.

(The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=the%20original%20purpose%20of%20chin%20national%20day%20and%20federalism )

or

( https://matupi.org/2022/02/20/the-original-purpose-of-chin-national-day-federalism/ )

In my article, I didn’t raise accusations toward any innocent Burmese, but anyone who is involved in playing dirty politics by using the Burmese (Burmaan ethnic group) as a scapegoat. None of any ethnic national leaders have accused innocent Burmese but the successive military generals from 1962 onward, who have used the “trick” by playing Burmese (Burmaans ethnic group) have supported all the activities that they have done in Burma. In the meantime trying to give a message that the Burmese (Burmaan ethnic-national) and Burmese military are the same as inseparable (To be divided between Burmaan ethnic-national and the rest). Of course, their tactics “divide & rule” policies have been achieved at a certain level.

If we study carefully the whole territories in Burma/Myanmar, we can clearly see who is facing the most extreme poverty level?, we are not saying IDP group (Internal Displace people due to war and conflicts in the ethnic territory). In the central Burma/Myanmar region, the original base of the real ethnic Burmaans, who are suffering the most as a consequence of economic mismanagement and repeated failure of national planning structure by successive military lead administrations. The life of people there is being enforced to be more primitive type nature, although their resources were being directly or indirectly occupied by the military administration since 1962 in the name of prosperity.

If military leaders really care about their own Burmaans ethnic-national, they would have done more infrastructure development and created an easier livelihood structure. The result shows clearly that military leaders completely ignore the Burmaan ethnic-national too, instead, they build their own personal comfortable environment while enslaving anyone who does not belong to members of the military-related groups. Even Most civil servants, lower-ranking soldiers and polices forces are considered as a servant to fulfill their own personal needs. Therefore, there is nothing to raise about ethnic discrimination issues in Burma between Burmaans and others. Naturally, in order to “divide and rule” tactics, military men would give priority to Burmaan groups over other ethnic-national if they have to choose. Otherwise, they would only care and prioritize their own.

On the other hand, there are many EAOs (Ethnic Arms Organizational leaders), who do not represent truly as they claimed to be represented, and get too much personal gain while the whole ethnic-national group is suffering and lacks basic needs (including food and medical supplies). They themselves are the same group of military men who love to rule as an authoritarian type of leadership to enslave their own group.

In order to abolish all the troubles in Burma, the best and the only remedy is indicating again and again to fulfill the 1947-based “Panglong Conference Agreement”. If we delayed fixing it, the problems will be deeper and could be reaching beyond repair. Current Burma’s “Spring Revolution” will not succeed unless “21st Century Palong Type peace Conference/Federal Conference” has been introduced even at least consensus level”. All the trust between various groups has been broken and it has to be fixed if we want to sail together within the same boat of “Union” and revolution journey.

Therefore, in my conclusion, the word “Burmaanization”, used by military men is to give a message to other ethnic-national groups that every military leader’s activities are being supported by the ethnic “Burmaan” group. In reality, “Burmaan” ethnic-national were being used as a scapegoat for military leaders to build their base of power. So that any conflicts could be simply diverted to Burmaan ethnic group, instead of letting the conflicts spill between people based (any ethnic-national group) and military leaders. (we are not raising the issue of demographic population politics yet: Mixed races of Burmaan + Chinese; Burmaan+ Indians; Burmaan+ethnic minorities etc. which all mixed races are usually recorded as Burmaan group in order to play population politics by successive military leaders. Which is a dangerous game, once all ethnic nation groups demanded full federal states, all the races which Burmaans group consider to be their own would have to be fully responsible for them including redistributing resources with them too. By that time, I hope Burmaans politicians won’t deny them to be part of them. For that Purpose, post-independent era politicians and Ex.gen. Ne Win had prepared drawing 7 divisions of territories to counter ethnic national groups. They have broken pieces of the best regions from Ethnic nationals’ territories and added them into their divisions’ territories.)

Unfortunately, the mindset of playing an ethnic discrimination card attitude is still arising among democratic forces within NLD-led CRPH and NUG too. It has to stop in order to tear down the establishment of military rulership in Burma. It is obvious that most activists within CRPH and NUG are not prepared to serve as a politician or to lead the revolution, but they are eager to engage, which is a good sign. But, once you are engaged, you have to learn quickly and adopt revolutionary ideas and tactics. The lack of knowledge and unwillingness to cooperate with technicians will bring a failure in this revolution.

My suggestion for current Burma’s Revolution to be successful are as follows:

1. Current NLD-led CRPH and NUG need to cooperate with people or group who has enough knowledge of the political process and revolutionary steps to organizational work. A bunch of medical doctors/physicians are of no use in this journey of revolution unless they have been learned and trained to lead the revolution process. Otherwise, their ways of thinking fade away from revolutionary activities and will not lead to a successful revolution but to work at the hospital. Let every professional do their own duties instead of building personal popularity at the cost of innocent lives.

2. All the former activists from NCGUB, MPU, and other groups have to stop interfering with the activities of CRPH and NUG. If they wanted, they could bridge between ethnic arms organizations and international communities by using their own connections. If they were really smart enough, they would have succeeded in the former revolution era from 1988 to 2010. So let them retire quietly from giving useless advice to CRPH and NUG.

3. More importantly, CRPH & NUG must introduce the most two important departments:

A) Lobbyist team:

To get recognition from international communities, build a strong relationship with foreign governments, and ethnics arms organizations from Burma’s various territories (at least to build a consensus level of cooperation agreements)

(i) International Lobbyist team and

(ii) Federal/ethnic-national lobbyist team

B) Military Intelligence Office:

Where all military leaders from various ethnic arms organizations and NUG’s defense office can freely exchange their military points of view and strategies. Surely, none of the ethnic arms organization representatives will cooperate with NUG’s defense department. Why? by doing so, they simply became subordinate to NUG. In this condition, NUG has to forget about its status as a government; NUG itself is just a group of NGOs and not above any other ethnic arms organizations until the revolution process is successful and an internationally recognized government. Therefore, know their own position and make the right deals with everyone to join hands in hands in revolution process.

Filed under: 1 General News, 2 Burma News |