To be blunt, the real issue in Myanmar is not really the future of democracy, but really is the future of democracy. If you are not familiar with it, think long about Benjamin Franklin's statement about a well-armed lamb contesting the outcome. The problem in Myanmar is Theravada Buddhism.
A recent column in Foreign Policy states:
Suu Kyi has a Buddhism problem. Specifically, she faces an obstacle in the chauvinism and xenophobia of Burma's Theravada culture, which encourages a sense of racial and religious superiority among majority Burman Buddhists at the expense of ethnic and religious minorities. Although the world has been largely focused on the drama between Burma's military leaders and "The Lady," fraught relations between ethnic Burmans, who make up 60 percent of the country's population, and the non-Burman minorities, who make up the remaining 40 percent, could leave the country politically fragmented -- and strengthen the military's hand just as it has been forced to loosen its grip.(read the full article here)
I concur with this blunt assessment of the ethnic question in Myanmar. Will the Buddhist sense of superiority carry over into the democratic realm causing real issues for pluralistic growth in Myanmar? Would a democratically elected government treat Karen Christian's (about 20% of the Karen population is Christian, while the Karen population is a total of 7% of the population of Myanmar) differently than the current government or the military led juntas of the last few decades? Why does Suu Kyi not address the ethnic question when talking about being progressive and democratic?
A recent column in Foreign Policy states:
Suu Kyi has a Buddhism problem. Specifically, she faces an obstacle in the chauvinism and xenophobia of Burma's Theravada culture, which encourages a sense of racial and religious superiority among majority Burman Buddhists at the expense of ethnic and religious minorities. Although the world has been largely focused on the drama between Burma's military leaders and "The Lady," fraught relations between ethnic Burmans, who make up 60 percent of the country's population, and the non-Burman minorities, who make up the remaining 40 percent, could leave the country politically fragmented -- and strengthen the military's hand just as it has been forced to loosen its grip.(read the full article here)
I concur with this blunt assessment of the ethnic question in Myanmar. Will the Buddhist sense of superiority carry over into the democratic realm causing real issues for pluralistic growth in Myanmar? Would a democratically elected government treat Karen Christian's (about 20% of the Karen population is Christian, while the Karen population is a total of 7% of the population of Myanmar) differently than the current government or the military led juntas of the last few decades? Why does Suu Kyi not address the ethnic question when talking about being progressive and democratic?
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