Pundit urges opposition groups to join forces

No.01 - 2/2007
4 February 2007
Politics
 
Pundit urges opposition groups to join forces
 
Sydney-based Dr Than Naing, who is currently a visiting professor at Chiangmai University's All Ethnic International Open University (AEIOU) program, has called on Burma's multitudinous opposition movements to unite, during his 3-hour lecture yesterday.
 
"We have less than 3 years to do it," the grizzled academic, who used to be head of Geology Department at Rangoon's Workers College, 1970-1985, told his audience of 100, in reference to media reports that say Burma's ruling generals are planning to legitimize its rule by the end of 2008. His 6-point "recipe for success" includes:

• Diplomatic engagement

• Waiting for the right time

• Supporting humanitarian aid in Burma

• Developing alternative approaches

• Intensive lobbying especially with neighboring countries

• Formation of a united front

 
"We have never really been united," he elaborated. "The divide and rule policy pursued by the British (1825-1948) had merely served to worsen the situation. Now we are critically in need of unity especially political unity and ethnic unity."
 
To which the lecture's facilitator Dr Ba Than Win, the AEIOU program's deputy director, added: "We don't want forced unity as forged by the ruling military council's role models: Anawrahta (1044-1077), Bayinnaung (1531-1551) and Alaungpaya (1752-1760). What we need is the kind of unity as initiated by Aung San, one that is based on Metta (mutual compassion and trust).
 
Dr Than Naing is the second academic in three weeks who has called for unity among opposition movements. The first one was BBC Kyaw Zan Tha, who on 13 January had urged the opposition to work for sustainable unity "not one that melts away as soon as the military has been overthrown."
 
According to Czech Press survey which came out on 4 August 2006, there are 179 alliances, associations, armies, committees, fronts, leagues, parties, unions and other entities based in Bangladesh, Burma, China, India and Thailand, the most prominent among which are the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) and the Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC). So far the two groupings have worked together to produce the draft constitution of the future federal union which was adopted last April.