Burma
was originally a part of India for Administrative reasons, when the British Empire
controlled the entire region. But later it was separated from India and became
a separate unit of the British Empire. What ever development like the railways,
which we see now is courtesy the English rule. Burma became independent in 1948
and for the first 14 years had parliamentary democracy under U Nu.
Burma as a Democracy
But
a sad part of this democracy was the deep rifts that had come up within
opposing factions. A military Coup led by General Ne Win resulted in the Army
being catapulted to power. This by itself appears strange as Burma is a
Buddhist nation and this religion is known as a religion of peace. Out of the 4
nations that were granted independence by the British namely India, Pakistan,
Burma and Ceylon, only Ceylon and India nurtured democratic values while the
other two Burma and Pakistan were taken over by the Army. Pakistan is an Islamic state and Islam has a
history of waging wars all over the world, for what ever reason, but Buddhist
nations have generally no such history. However the Military led by Ne Win took
over the reins of power in 1962.
General Ne Win and Military Rule
Who was General
Ne Win? He was a soldier who had been part of the Burma National Army that
early on during World War II collaborated with the Japanese. But that
experience turned sour and Ne Win and
the BNA joined the British in their drive against the Japanese. Subsequently he
continued his rise in the hierarchy and was asked to be premier by U Nu in
1958.
Ne Win more than
anybody else in the Military establishment can be credited for bringing and keeping
the Army into politics. The result of this army rule is not very beneficial for
the people at large and mass scale unrest and demonstrations at various times
have over taken the nation. But the Army has been ruthless and has had no
compunction in firing and killing its own people. On a number of occasions the
Army has shot dead hundreds of students and protestors. This is unheard of even
in Pakistan where the Army is the main
driving force. For all these actions General Ne Win must bear full
responsibility. He is credited with a statement that shows his state of mind. “Army would have to be called and I would like to declare from here that
if the Army shoots it has no tradition of shooting into the air. It would shoot
straight to hit."
Personal Life
The General himself lived in comfort and
disregarded the teachings of Gautama Buddha. The founder of Buddhism is also
recognized as a Hindu Avatar and he gave up his matrimonial life in search of
truth. But General Ne Win married at least 5 times.
General Ne Win’s Contribution
General Ne Win
was forced to step down in 1988 as violent mass scale demonstrations set Burma
on fire. The demonstrations were put down and the Army returned to power. The
fact remains that the Army rules with an iron hand and dissident leaders are
behind bars including Aung Syn who is heading peaceful protests against the
Military regime.
The fact of the matter is that the military
has a stranglehold over Burma, but the generals led by Ne Win have displayed
little vision, so intent have they been in furthering their personal interests.
The economy is in shambles and there is minimal progress with no freedom of
speech. But Burma continues on its path
and the world watches. General Ne Win expired in 2002, leaving behind a legacy
of Military rule, no democracy and no development. He will be dammed in History
for this.
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