By Brigitte Berthouzoz, member of EL Executive Board
Her name is known all over the world as a symbol for courage, struggle for democracy and freedom. Standing up for the right of her people, she lead her party, the National League for democracy, to a landslide victory in parliamentary election in 1988. Since then, she is seen as a threat by the junta which has stolen the power in Burma.
On the 19th of June, she will be celebrating her 60th birthday under house arrest, the last spate of which started in May 2003. Since then, Aung San Suu Kyi is cut off from the world, like never before. She has had no contact with the diplomatic community for months, no contact either with the NGO community or her party leaders. The military rulers want the world to forget about her. It is up to us that they fail.
The best way to remember her and to celebrate her birthday is to give her the floor :
On democracy : « The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations. The people of my country want the two freedoms that spell security: freedom from want and freedom from fear. »
On peace and mutual respect : « In our country, there are many races living together, but we have not been able to live together in peace because the situation does not exist where we can trust each other. So trust is a basic element for peace. »
And last but not least, on the role of women in society : « There is an outmoded Burmese proverb still recited by men who wish to deny that women too can play a part in bringing necessary change and progress to their society : ‘the dawn rises only when the rooster crows’. But Burmese people today are well aware of the scientific reason behind the rising of dawn and the falling of dusk. And the intelligent rooster surely realises that it is because dawn comes that it crows and not the other way around. It crows to welcome the light that has come to relieve the darkness of night. It is not the prerogative of men alone to bring light to the world : women with their capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice, their courage and perseverance, have done much to dissipate the darkness of intolerance and hate, suffering and despair ».
The ELP can identify itself with these quotes as it stands for true democracy and human rights, for the respect of people’s rights, for peace based on justice ; it also stands for the full participation of women in the political life and decision making.
On the occasion of her 60th birthday, the ELP demand the milliary junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and to accept the democratic choice expressed by the Burmese people who said clearly that they wanted Aung San Suu Kyi to be their leader.
