U Win Tin, General Secretary of the
National League for Democracy, speaks with The Best Friend about unity,
Panglong, and the young generation
Panglong Agreement
TBF: The Best Friend supports the recent statement issued by
All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA) calling for the release of all
political prisoners and tripartite dialogue [between the military-led
government of Burma, pro-democracy groups, and ethnic groups], including
support for a Second Panglong Conference.Do you know how many ethnic nationalities or ethnic organisations are also supporting the call for this conference so far?
UWT: “Most of the ethnic people are asking for the Second Panglong Conference. Actually, we haven’t got any regular contact with them so we don’t know how many exactly support this call.”
TBF: Do you feel that the majority of the ethnic nationalities support this call?
UWT: “Yes, yes, sure. We have some contact with Kachin and northern Shan leaders, and we have support from the Karen. The thing is, the majority of the ethnic people are supporting the call for this conference.”
TBF: Could you mention something about the ethnic groups which do not support the Panglong Conference? Why aren’t they adding their support?
UWT: “Most of the ethnic people support us. There are some groups, like some Shan and some Rakhine and some Chins, who participated and won in the elections, and they are now inside the Parliament. They do not support us. One Rakhine party said they support Panglong but they want to discuss about it only inside the Parliament, not outside.”
TBF: Can you say something about the amount of support from ethnic nationalities you need in order to bring the military regime to the table for a dialogue with the other parties?
UWT: “That all depends on the unity among ourselves. We are just waiting for the response of this government. They don’t say anything. They stay quiet, and are waiting for our move. They are just waiting. We can’t say how we will bring them to the table. We need to be united. We need more international support. Then they will come to the table. It’s too early. The military is going to stay behind the scenes. We have only one party, the USDP. They are the government. The new government must make a move to come to the table.”
TBF: So far the regime has been silent about the idea of the Second Panglong Conference. When do you expect to get a response from the Parliament or the USDP about the Conference?
UWT: “I think..we don’t know when. At the very first session of the Parliament they will give some signal about when they want to discuss with the opposition groups. That way we can force them step-by-step to come to the table, and make a real move tangible enough to come to a solution.”
TBF: If the government refuses to take part or allow the Second Panglong Conference, what will be the next step or method you will take in order to push for positive change in Burma?
UWT: “If they really refuse to participate, of course, we will be in square one again. Without the mililitary government, we can’t do anything.We can’t go alone. The government is getting stronger, by controling the Parliament. They are fighting against the nationalities, and so on. They will be too strong for us, if they don’t participate. We have to wait for them to move and wait for a second chance.”
TBF: What do you hope the results will be from a Second Panglong Conference? Is it a change of power you want?
UWT: “These are not the issues we are hoping for, such as a transfer of power. We are hoping to find a way for real preparation for a new kind of union. They [the military-backed government] must know that the present constitution does not work at all, and will only bring destitution to the country. So what we are waiting for is not the changing of power. What we want is to come to a real dialogue at the table and find some way of finding a new cooperative union that will strengthen the federal union with all nationalities, and so on. After dialogue has begun, we can wait for some time, and after that they can make some review of the constitution and find a way for a new election after coming to the table.”
TBF: Can I summarise that the NLD’s hopes for a Second Panglong Conference are a review of the 2008 constitution and a dialogue about how to create a more federal union that is acceptable to the ethnic groups?
UWT: “Yes. That’s right.”
Message
TBF: How would you call on people around the world to help support this call for another Panglong Conference?UWT: “To people around the world, I would say: ‘I am U Win Tin, I am from the NLD, an opposition party in Burma. I would really like to ask all the people of the world. We are now in a crisis against the military government, they are getting stronger. We need to get them to the table so we can solve the problems in our country. At the table. By making this political dialogue I hope we can solve the problems of Burma and hope it will contribute to peace in the world.”
TBF: The Panglong Conference has a high symbolic value: it was Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s father who initiated the first gathering. For the young generation, why is this Panglong Conference so important, in your opinion?
UWT:“That is the question we are very anxious about. That is what Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is propagating about the issues of Panglong. Instead of all the political programmes and parties talking about Panglong, we must ask the young people to be part of the Panglong experience. We will be determined to fight for a new kind of Union of Burma. That is very important. Without that spirit [among the young generation], it will not work. We need a very strong spirit of Panglong, of the union, of the federal state. That is very important.”
TBF: Can the international community do anything to encourage or enable dialogue between the regime, opposition parties, and ethnic nationalities in Burma?
UWT: “The international community has fought a lot to talk with the opposition groups for so long. They have done a lot. By discussion at the UN, sanctions against the military, and so on. Up till now [it unfortunately has not been enough]. The regime just keeps quiet, and they are just waiting for a chance, for a way out. The best way for the international community is to fight the government, the new regime, to keep the pressure on. The regime will be stubborn to [engage in dialogue with other groups] without the international community asking and pressuring.”
Unity
TBF: One of the main requirements for change inside Burma is
unity among the population. What is your perception about the amount of
unity inside the country? Are you hopeful about this, or is it reason
for concern?UWT: “Unity inside is, I think, rather strong. Because of many factors. One is because Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has got a very strong personality. She has got a very great influence and she can unite people. People are very willing to listen to her. So she is a very strong force and can unite people. That is one thing. The other is, our country is very poor. Inside the country people are poor. There is a very bad economic situation. People lead hard lives and experience hardship in daily things. This actually makes them feel united. They know that the hardship is due to the military government, and so they are united in opposing the regime. Third one is, all the people in the different ethnic nationality groups are getting united more and more. Nowadays you can say Burmese people and ethnic people are getting more united and forming more political unions.”
TBF: What about unity of the Burmese people in exile?
UWT: “Outside of the country, we really don’t know. Outside Burma, Burmese people have gone to many countries all over the world. They are not in political parties and are not organised in a way as a political party. We don’t know how much they are unified. We know that most have left the country mostly because of this military government. So, in their opinion the military government is the main culprit of all this political culture. In this subject they are very unified in their opinion about the future of Burma.”
TBF: Since your release [from 19 years in prison], and since the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, it seems you have had more freedom to do your work as a leader of an opposition group. Do you think this will change for the worse after Parliament convenes at the end of the month? Or do you think the situation will stay promising?
UWT: “We hope so. Nowadays there are many people behind bars, over 2,000 people, and the Burmese people suffer a lot. There might be some mass movement. People are expressing their political opinions. The military will have to come to terms with us, one day or another. Nowadays people are more aware of [ideas for] political solutions.
TBF: So you expect that you and other leaders of the NLD will continue to have some freedom to do your work?
UWT: “Yes.”
Young generation
TBF: As an experienced man in many fields—politics,
journalism, working and living inside and outside of Burma—what is your
advice for the young generation inside Burma?UWT: “Well, nowadays I do not have much advice to give to the younger generation. The only advice I want to give to the younger generation is to go on and fight against the military regime. As long as the military regime is still in power, there is no future for the Burmese people, or Burma itself, or any future generation. Without any future for them, it is no use to give advice to them. So my advice for them is go on and fight for your country, for democracy, for human rights, and against the military regime. That is my advice.”
TBF: The Burmese people face many difficulties in their daily lives and many people face a daily struggle to survive and feed their families. How can the Burmese population be empowered to continue their fight for freedom?
UWT: “Well, of course that all depends on the political leadership, like the NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. On the other hand of course, we are very religious people, and religion has a great effect on our morale. The monks are also very important. About three years ago, the monks organised and stood up against the military. So at this time, too, we are asking the monks to have a struggle against the military.”
Interview for The Best Friend by Garrett Kostin, Elke Kuijper
On 12 February 1947, the Burmese government under the leadership of Bogyoke Aung San, reached an agreement with the Shan, Kachin and Chin people about autonomy and minority rights. This agreement was called Panglong Agreement, after the town in Shan State where it took place. The Burmese pronounciation of this agreement is Pinlone, and both names are used. Pinlone is used in verbal conversation, whereas the (international) media mostly uses Panglong. We have used Panglong here, as it is written text. U Win Tin, however, pronounces the name as Pinlone.
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