Politics for People

(http://burmadigest.info/2008/03/27/politics-for-people/ )

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_ by Thuria Tayza

It's time now to start serious discussions on "Politics for People".

There are at least three reasons for doing so.

People's sufferings on the ground; near starvation, child malnutrition, high maternal & child mortality rates, short general life expectancy, hyper prevalence of infectious diseases, lack of good healthcare, lack of clean water supply, lack of electrivity, lack of credible education, lack of employment, lack of reliable income, lack of internet access, lack of media freedom, lack of labour rights, child soldiers, human trafficking, forced prostitution, drug trade, environmental destructions……… these are all real , not just political propaganda.

When junta approved their constitution by hook or by crook or by spooks; to carry on the fight to next stage, pro-democracy political activists inside the country will need to take part in 2010 elections; then they will need a credible leparty political platform which is relevant to time and circumstances of the day. "Politics for People" will be a very noble and respectable political platform.

When the military install a puppet civilian government after 2010; to go on fighting against that puppet civilian government, we'll need a good political weapon. "Politics for People" will be an effective weapon because under the new puppet civilian government people of Burma will go on suffering all the same.

So we need to start brain-storming on how to help the real people under real-life sufferings in Burma: _

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• how can political activists help the real people _ e.g., like Ko Htin Kyaw and group who voiced people's concerns for the worsening poverty; like the efforts by Phyu Phyu Thin and group to provide assistance to HIV patients highlighting the lack of adequate and humane care for patients with infectious diseases in Burma
• how political leaders can help the real people _ e.g., like the 88 generation student leaders who came out onto streets to protest hyper inflations after 5 fold fuel price hikes, which eventually snowballed into massive Saffron Revolution last year
• how activists on border areas can help the real people _ e.g., like Dr Cynthia Maung who has been for so many years providing health care to all refugees and migrants there; like AEIOU program giving tertiary education to refugee youths there
• how ethic forces can help their own people _ like Free Burma Rangers providing healthcare and other essential assistance to IDPs; like Shan Women Action Network releiving sufferings of ethnic refugee women
• how journalists inside and outside the country can help the real people _ e.g., like many a faceless civilian journalists and bloggers during Saffron revolution who risked their lives and tried to record the sufferings of people and spread the word to the outside world.
• how exile pliticians can help the real people _ e.g., by talking more about people's real suffering on the ground in Burma, but spending less time on writing money-making project proposals for themselves
• how international community can help the real people of Burma _ e.g., by persuading or pressuring military junta to cooperate better with United Nations for direct poverty relief efforts for real people on the ground
• how ASEAN countries can help the real people of Burma _ e.g, by persuding Burmese authorities to gradually relax their super tight control and very harsh censorship on media, press, public meetings, entertainment and stage performences, internet and telecommunications, etc., in essence to allow freedom at least up to ASEAN standard, if not to perfect western standards.
• how future new puppet civilian government can help the real people _ e.g., by being less corrupt and more transparent and accountable, and paying more heed to public opinions

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