A revolution is roaring ahead in the streets of cities across Myanmar, highlighting that this country is the new Myanmar with the people who are disciplined and organized, tech-savvy and creative, united and connected to the wider world. The South East Asia region and the whole world must back this new Myanmar to achieve its freedom for their own benefits.
Their struggle is not new. Myanmar was completely under dictatorship regime for half a century. There were uprisings during different generations, the most notably in 1988. All of those uprisings were against the military junta that was accused of war crimes and human right violations. The current crisis followed the coup d’état by the military on February 1, 2021. By upending the constitution written by themselves for their own advantages, the military junta showed its greed and ruthlessness to its own people and indifference to the international community. By cutting off internet, starting curfew and reintroducing midnight household checking law, the junta pulled the country back to the darkest age in Myanmar history. Killing tens of protestors, wounding hundreds and arresting thousands, the junta treats Myanmar as a killing field.
Following decades of isolation from the outside world under the military regime, the people of Myanmar only had a brief taste of freedom under the quasi-democratic government of Aung San Su Kyi from 2015 to 2020. They could read, think and say whatever they want during that period. The people, who had a chance to be led by a democratic government although it had its own short-comings, knew that their freedom was fragile, yet it was worth-savoring and definitely worth-saving.
During the initial stage under the democratic government, the people had to go through a period of adjustment to make sense of the world in which they were not part of for half a century. Testing out cell phones, cash cards and K-pop for the first time for the most, building the capacity to seek the right sources for information and to find oneself as an individual and as a Myanmar collectively was a tall order for the majority. It was difficult to get balanced opinions and well informed views for some complex situations. However, five years of relative freedom under inspiring leaders has significantly transformed the populace.
They respect Aung San Su Kyi and value their democratically elected government, mainly for being open and honest with them and also for acting and treating them as adults. Aung San Su Kyi always says that she has only the people to rely on. The people, who fondly call her ‘Mother Su’, take this very seriously. At the same time, Min Ko Naing, one of the most prominent leaders of the 1988 uprising and the current revolution, observes the whole country that each and every one is his or her own boss. These good leaders make the people more determined to be free. Their sacrifices help them to be resilient. Their expectations prompt them to show how much they have changed as a nation in a few short years.
This resolute and self-reliant Myanmar is surprisingly new not only for the junta, but also for its own people and the world. The qualities instilled during those few years of freedom come out to the surface in this crisis for everyone to see.
Being treated as individuals and having access to different world views, Myanmar’s new generation is much more open minded about many issues including race, gender, and religion. They are more persuasive too. Unlike the reported clashes of generations during the Hong Kong uprising in 2019, Myanmar’s generation Z has the full backing of Generations X and Y, creating this new Myanmar with regenerated yet similar views regarding the future of herself and her neighbors. The whole country is not afraid of acknowledging their previous indifference to the sufferings of minorities in the hand of ruthless military dictators. This earns the trust and cooperation of those minorities as well as different religious groups. The world sees a Catholic nun placing herself in the line of fire to protect the protesters and Rohingya putting up three-finger salutes in solidarity with this new Myanmar.
This united Myanmar is peaceful to its core during the current movement of freedom. Although there have been many incidents where the communities were incited by thugs and saboteurs, and many were killed by police and soldiers, the new Myanmar responded in impressively measured, non-confrontational and non-violent ways.
Risking their lives, these Myanmar also show that they know the price of their future and they are willing to fight for it. One of the unsung heroes during a protest wore a tag with ‘not to resuscitate’ instruction and a note to donate her organs. On the day that she was untimely and unjustly shot dead by the military, a young woman of nineteen wore a T-shirt showing ‘Everything will be okay’ as an armour. Donning a three-ply mask for Covid-19 prevention, a tennis racket to fend off smoke bombs and a cardboard that says ‘we want democracy’, this new Myanmar fights on with a merciless and cunning army. Writing blood groups on their forearms on their way to freedom marches, these new Myanmar are brave and unwavering in the time of adversity.
Using each other’s resources, the whole population supports one another, aiming to achieve freedom together. Painters draw placards showing ‘Reject Dictatorship’ for protestors. A girl offers slices of watermelon to protesters free of charge, sacrificing her daily income. A doctor answers questions of the day about child health on a Facebook page while his colleagues are manning charity clinics across the country to look after the communities, as they all join the civil disobedience movement for the greater good. Restaurant owners offer boxes of egg-fried rice to those who make sure that the world knows their wish to be free from dictatorship. No one forces them. Everyone fights the way they can.
Although they aim to change the future of the whole country, their approach is flexible, subtle and organized. Yet, this new Myanmar inspires its own countrymen as well as many across Asia. Different task forces, including cleaning teams, working together, hundreds of thousands of protesters leave the city litter free every day following the protests. They block the traffic on a main road in Yangon by walking on the zebra crossings repeatedly, picking up rice grains in the street and driving cars slowly. They create street art protests across big cities.
These people of Myanmar are still finding their feet, yet they have unequivocally proved during this uprising that they have the right mix of qualities to make their country, their region and their world a better place. For the world and particularly for South East Asian countries, backing this new Myanmar in its march to freedom means a good business because they will gain a peaceful neighbour, a great trade partner and a prosperous region.
Therefore, the international communities must support the people of Myanmar by condemning the coup d’état, cutting ties with the military junta, freezing the assets of its collaborators and businesses, and respecting the will of this New Myanmar.
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