Opinion | New Myanmar government must be inclusive if it is to succeed
Aileen Thomson says the concerns of former political prisoners, ethnic minorities and conflict-affected communities must be taken into account if peace and democracy in Myanmar are to endure
When Htin Kyaw was elected president of Myanmar on March 15, domestic and international media hailed him as the first president never to have worn a military uniform. Another distinction, however, was largely missing from the media spotlight: Htin Kyaw will be the first former political prisoner to become president of Myanmar.
Htin Kyaw spent several months in prison in 2000. In September of that year, when Aung San Suu Kyi was out of house arrest but under restrictions, Htin Kyaw accompanied her to Yangon Central Railway Station, where she and a group of supporters tried to travel to Mandalay. When the station staff refused to sell them tickets, the group declared that they would not leave the station until they were able to buy tickets and board a train to Mandalay.
Suu Kyi aide sworn in as Myanmar’s president... but who is really in charge?
Htin Kyaw and the others were arrested on the spot, and Suu Kyi was returned to house arrest. Two of the men who were arrested that day, Thein Swe and Tun Myint, were elected to parliament last year.
Almost half of the MPs from the National League for Democracy (NLD) – around 115 out of 390 – are former political prisoners. This fact gives some hope to the legions of former political prisoners that their sacrifices will be recognised.
For many, everything they suffered would be worth it if they can obtain their goal of democracy
The NLD has pledged to release all political prisoners once it comes to power and adopt a definition of “political prisoner” that was developed in a joint workshop with political prisoners in 2014. These would be laudable steps to address the needs of political prisoners. However, former political prisoners urgently need other measures, including restoration of political rights, medical and psychosocial care, and official recognition of their contributions.
Throughout the International Centre for Transitional Justice’s engagement in Myanmar, we have discussed with many former prisoners their experiences in the past and hopes for the future. For many, everything they suffered would be worth it if they can obtain their goal of democracy.
