The Rise of Burma

Slowly, the political situation in Burma is revolving. The military government, which used to be headed by Than Shwe, has finally been overthrown, and the first ever democratic elections have been held. The previous one was laughed off as a joke, as the military government’s parties overwhelmed the opposition in both number and in strength. One-quarter of the seats were also reserved for the army, thus rendering the opposition useless.

However, it is evident that the rule of military governments has reached its limit, with most people despising it. I believe that the world is now mostly headed towards a more peaceful world where violence is not accepted. In fact, one major reason why Burma is so poor now is mainly because of the country’s violent behavior towards its citizens. Therefore, the country was sanctioned by many other humanitarian countries like Western states and peace-keeping organisations such as the United Nations. Thus, it shows that hard power is now unacceptable by many countries’ standards, and that violence will not bring a country or its ruler prosperity, but instead ruin and death. Soft power is the way to go.

The hero of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, has finally relented to taking part in the elections this time. A clear example of the respect for her would be obvious to anyone there. The country is filled with pictures of her and her father, and she was named “the Lady” by supporters. In addition, the United States is here to help. Hillary Clinton visited the country recently to “repair” relations between the two countries. I believe that this will also give the Burmese a sense of safety. After the US visits Burma, the people will feel that there is a strong Western power supporting it, giving them to spirit to work harder towards improvement. The country is now the second poorest country in Asia, and it obviously has a long way to go towards improving. Suu Kyi’s opposition party, National League for Democracy, NLC, has managed to win the hearts of many citizens in Burma. As a result, they are willing to vote for her and thus will make things easier for her government to rule in the future. The results are already out and for all to see – the parliament has already passed a bill to allow certain Burmese to protest, something that has not been allowed since a long time ago. It can thus be expected that the country, with the help of others, will be able to lift the sanctions, allowing Burma to further develop as a democratic country.

Besides the political suppression that the country has been experiencing, Burma also has to solve many problems, most importantly health and education. The country is wilting from AIDs, and the children of the towns are not going to school, but are instead fishing from mud ponds. If the situation continues, then there will be almost a certainty that the next few generations will bring low economic development due to the low education of a great portion of society. In addition, Burma’s next working generation and perhaps even the generations after that will be weak and unhealthy. Hopefully, when the NLC is voted into parliament, it will be able to slowly turn the situation around. Burma has been entrenched in violence and misfortune, but we can now hope that the new beacon of peace will finally be able to reach the people, and bring happiness and a better life to them.

As the world revolves with time, so do countries. They develop both physically and politically, and although the chance to change Burma is within grasp, it is now the job of the new government to make things happen!

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Hi guys, I'm a student in Singapore, and this are some thoughts and essays I have written over the years.