Thursday, January 31, 2008

The choice of Burmese


To the humble, courageous, “great ones” among us who exemplify how leadership is a choice, not a position.
-Stephen Covey in
The 8th habit,
devotion



1990 election was a real smart thinking of Burmese people. There is no emotional charge AT ALL for it. If it is the emotional charge, the military people will give the votes to BSP. Be aware that historically Daw Su was not the equal match for even U Ne Win who was also the main colleague of her father. Even the two greatest politicians of Burma independence struggles were defeated: U Nu (Fabian socialist), Thakin Soe (Founder of Burma communist party and the policy maker of Burma independent movements of AFPFL). Do you understand why Daw Su won? This is the choice of people to go on the market economy system rather than to be socialists or communists again as they think socialism and communism will no longer be appropriate for the contemporary trend of the trade system of the world. This is the economic incentive of the people to choice Daw Su as she could earn the greatest institutional support for reinvigoration of capitalistic system in Burma not like her counter parts.
-Burmakin’s
critique on YTP’s statement, http://kadaung.iblogger.org/?p=238


As it happens, the view that Asian values are quintessentially authoritarian has tended to come, in Asia almost exclusively from spokesmen of those in power (sometimes supplemented- and reinforced – by Western statements demanding the people endorse what are seen as specifically “Western liberal values”). But foreign ministers, or government officials, or religious leaders, do not have a monopoly in interpreting local culture values. It is important to listen to the voices of dissent in each society. Aung San Su Kyi has no less legitimacy-indeed clearly has rather more – in interpreting what the Burmese want than have the military rulers of Myanmar, whose candidates she had defeated in open elections before being put in jail by defeated military junta.
-Amartya Sen in Development as freedom, P.247


5 comments:

Sit Mone said...

I have read your comment regarding YTP in Kadaung’s blog.
Your comment was one of the best so far, I have ever read among the Burmese blogs.
However, Kadaung has lost your comment twice, if I am not mistaken. I've found out your blog from Jeg's blog.
Anyway, my purpose is just to appreciate a person who deserves for his work.
regards,
Sit Mone

Anonymous said...

Dear U Sit Mone (Mr.Hate War),

In BC 300,the one who ruled a larger empire than any Indian King appeared in India Continent.His name was as we Burmese are well acquainted, King Ashoka. He won the whole India Continent not only by his warrior's talents in military fighting but at the later times of his onslaught of wars, he also won the hearts of the people by the "moral code of conduct",to make people willingly accolade him as "Dhamma Shoka" that means "the king who relieves anxiety of the people by Dhamma".You will probably notice his real winning of a war over the hearts of people start at this beginning,"Sit Mone" (hating the war).

On his way to the crowning ceremony, Ashoka had to kill his own 99 brothers.He was tremendously horrified by seeing carnage and millions of war victims on his victorious return from the kingdom of Kalinga (Orissa in modern India).He was sleepless for many nights replete with repent for what he had done.He later realized that he had been thoroughly wrong to choose the military and war as the way for his freedom from fear of losing his life, his property and his power.The more wars he made to psychologically instill the people to be fearful of his military acts, not only was the growth of fear there in the people but there grew the fear for himself.

The earliest leadership theories of the world believe that the leadership is a nature rather than nurture meaning a leader has the inborn traits to lead the people.This kind of theory is very easy to be accepted by our Burmese Buddhist leaders as it is somewhat supporting their simple belief of Karma.The great philosopher like Aristotle, even though he didn't deny it is trait-related, he said
leadership is "nurture rather than nature".However,in the 21st century,the theoreticians get another brilliant finding, "leadership is neither nature or nature but it is only a choice".

Knowing his choice of war as a wrong code of conduct,Ashoka now picked up a correct choice, the moral code of conduct of Buddhism as his nation-building process and his enlightened way of freedom from fear. He was the greatest person in Buddhism history to make Buddhism as a world religion, sending Buddhist monks missionaries to many other parts of the world. His emissaries of his own son Ven Mahaindha and his own daughter Ven Sanga Maitta to Sri Lanka ever created the culture,beliefs and religion of South East Asia today.And why did Asokha choose Buddhism as the moral code of conduct? What moral code of conduct from Buddhism he particularly choose for his nation building process of India to relieve the anxiety of people by Dhamma of Buddha. What is the Dhamma of Buddha that relieved the anxiety of India at this golden Asokha's time?

If you have ever travelled in the modern day Pakistan and Northern India, you will find the rock edicts of Ashoka to reflect those memorable days of a great King of Mauryan dynasty.One of the edict read this moral code of conduct that Ashoka adopt for his nation building process:

"A man must not do his reverence to his own sect or disparage another man without reason.Depreciation should be for specific reason only, because the sects of other people all deserve reverence for one reason for another.
By thus acting, a man exalts his own sect, and at the same time does service to the sects of other people.By acting contrariwise, a man hurts his own sect, and does disservice to the sects of other people. For he who does reverence to his own sect while disparaging the sects of others wholly from attachment to his own, with intent to enhance the splendor of his own sect, in reality by such conduct inflicts the severest injury on his own sect" (Edict XII)

The choice of "tolerance" made India and Buddhism deferential all over the world.Today India's flag was at the centre with Ashoka Chakra (Ashoka's dhamma)with a wheel with 24- spokes reflecting that Dhamma is involved in 24 hour nation building process of India on egalitarian basis(No sect has the right to be dominant over other sects with the core paradigm of "tolerance" at the center for all the sects of the nation)

I like the military leaders of Burma to see the change of "choice" of Ashoka as an example.They have not yet even committed the atrocious wars of a massacre of millions of people or ever committed fratricide as if Asokha had done in his overprotection of fear.Even this barbarian King had moved to a good choice, "tolerance"
and became to win the hearts of the people to be ever recorded forever in the world history.Why not they as already cultivated Buddhists had now a choice for "tolerance" acknowledging to the people that they have "hated the choice of war" to relieve the anxiety of the people to become the first Burmese Dhamma Shoka in the history of our modern nation.

This is the summary I like to chant by learning India and Dhamma Shoka:

War is the code of conduct of barbarian Ashoka.

Tolerance is the choice of code of conduct of Asokha to become people's Ashoka.

The difference between heaven and earth is just a flash of mindfulness, in this moment in Burma's history, a choice for tolerance.

Apamadaina Samadaitha
Nun Khaymar

Anonymous said...

In my last post, please replace the last sentence of 3rd paragraph with the following.

Read
"leadership is neither nature or nurture but it is only a choice".

in place of

"leadership is neither nature or nature but it is only a choice"

Thanks for tolerance,
Nun Khaymar

Anonymous said...

I don't like foreigners to be the wise men for our country.I strongly deny the outsider's accounts.They are not trust worthy. The fate of our country should be decided ourselves as the insiders who know the most about it.

Anonymous said...

This post is great.Kyaw San(the stupid) should read what Amartya Sen (the sage) is speaking.Than Shwe(old con man) should also read it.