Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was in the US recently to accept honours she received during the many years of military rule she was kept her under house arrest in Myanmar, her home country.
During the 17-day tour of America, Suu Kyi expressed hope that Burma's fledging democracy can learn from the US.
But given the current political state of affairs and the tendency towards partisanship that comes with an election year, perhaps the American people can learn a thing or two from one of the world's most inspiring figures.
Suu Kyi talked about turning a new leaf in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and reaching out to the generals who had shunned the world for decades before coming to their senses about what has to be done to move Burma forward as a nation and become a responsible member of the international community.
"We are beginning to learn to work together," she said at the US Institute of Peace. "We are beginning to learn the art of compromise, give and take, achievement of consensus. It is good that this is beginning in the legislature and we hope this will spread and become part of the political culture of Burma."
By achieving such compromise, stakeholders in Burma, regardless of which side of the political divide they are on, are letting the entire world know what they want. Thai leaders, on the other hand, don't seem to know what they want. But they appear to be more concerned with losing political ground. Thus the unwillingness to compromise even when the opportunity presents itself. The recent report by the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT) is testimony to this very point.
It would be misleading to say the stakes are higher here in Thailand, thus making compromise virtually impossible. The problem with Thailand is that no one is willing to take responsibility for his actions. The TRCT rightly pointed out that everybody is to blame for the political violence.
And instead of the TRCT report being used as a platform to move forward, it is likely to become an artefact that no one wants to touch simply because it is not favourable to them.
Leap of faith
It was not that long ago that Burma was one of the world's most hated nations, the sick man of Asean. Many thought a military solution was the only way to bring about change to the country.
But almost overnight, the ruling generals, as well as the pro-democracy camp, decided to take that leap of faith. In a short time, Burma has achieved much in terms of reforms. Initiatives may not move as fast as some would like, but that's mainly because the country lacks the bureaucratic capacity and manpower to do what needs to be done.
But generally speaking, there is agreement that the policy put forward is irreversible. And the leap of faith is paying off for all stakeholders.
Before a Washington audience last week, Suu Kyi said: "Sometimes it's much more difficult to learn to work together than to suffer individually".
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was not in the US to seek sympathy or to promote herself. Instead, she was there to seek support and understanding for her country. Half a century of dictatorship has really messed things up for the people of Burma, not to mention Suu Kyi and her tremendous personal suffering.
While it is true that every nation has unique problems of its own and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the unwillingness of political leaders to compromise and the failure of the state to provide goods and services to the people are all too common. In this respect, Thailand stands out above many. Our bureaucratic machine has compromised itself to serve the political master of the day.
Given the manner in which the TRCT report, which seeks to heal and calls for forgiveness, was rejected by many stakeholders, it is safe to say that there isn't much hope for the country in the near future.
Don't be surprised that sooner or later, a new group of truth seekers will be commissioned and the findings may even please the ruling party at the time, whether under the Yingluck administration or its successor.
But if we continue to employ such an attitude and if our political leaders continue to seek ways to milk the report for their selfish political gain, these reports will not be worth the paper they are written on. Unfortunately, there is no indication that our leaders are willing to make that kind of compromise.-Asia News Network (October 01, 2012)
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