A Comment on Ma Thanegi's Article

[Thein.Lwin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

A Comment on Ma Thanegi?s Article
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This is a comment on Ma Thanegi?s article, "The Burmese Fairy Tale" in
Far Eastern Economic Review, February 19, 1998.

Ma Thanegi needs modernisation.  Our society needs not only
modernisation but also a just society.  There is a conflict between
two dynamics here called the "economic imperative" and the "democratic
imperative", which reflect the democratic movement of Burma.

Thanegi wrote:
> ... she (Aung San Suu Kyi) chose the opposite, putting pressure on
> the government by telling foreign investors to stay away and asking
> foreign governments to withhold aid.

I understand that ?economic sanction? is to make the military
government pressure to come to a dialogue table on the one hand. 
This is the way to avoid violence on the other.  I believe that we 
will solve our problem through dialogue.

Thanegi wrote:
> Why couldn?t economic development and political improvement 
> grow side by side?

It is worth to say that economic development is a necessary but not a
sufficient condition of sustained democratic society.  It may not wise
to emphasis only on the economy other than a just society.  The
economic value of society may go against principles of democracy.  The
current Asian economic crisis highlights the need of democracy and a
just society in the region.

Thanegi wrote:
> We need jobs, we need to modernise.

The cost of modernisation was seen at the China Tiananmen Square 
and in Indonesia. 

Finally, modernisation without justice is not a best answer of our
society.  We need dignity, human rights, freedom of thought, freedom
of expression as well as economic development.

Thein Lwin
Former Thanegi?s colleague of NLD
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