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BOOK REVIEW
AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S
Freedom from Fear and OtherWritings Reviewed by J iNG PORTE
w h o h a s n o t h e a r d o f A u n g S a n S u u K y i , B u r m a ' s " w o m a n o f d e s t i n y , " m a n y t i m e s f e a t u r e d o n t h e c o v e r o f v a r i o u s i n t e r n a t i o n a l p u b l i c a t i o n s , s h e w h o w o n t h e S a k h a r o v P r i z e for F r e e d o m o f T h o u g h t i n 1 9 9 0 , a n d t h e N o b e l P e a c e P r i z e i n 1 9 9 1 . S u u , a s s h e i s f o n d l y c a l l e d b y h e r s u p p o r t e r s , a g a i n f e a t u r e d p r o m i n e n t l y i n m e d i a w h e n s h e w a s r e l e a s e d f r o m s i x y e a r s o f h o u s e a r r e s t i n B u r m a .
Freedom from Fear and Other Writings i s a c o l l e c t i o n o f e s s a y s b y A u n g S a n S u u K y i , l e a d e r o f t h e N a t i o n a l L e a g u e o f D e m o c r a c y (NLD ) , t h e m a i n c o a l i t i o n o f g r o u p s f i g h t i n g t h e a u t h o r i t a r i a n r e g i m e i n R a n g o o n . E d i t e d b y h e r h u s b a n d , M i c h a e l A r i s , t h e b o o k p r o v i d e s t h e r e a d e r s w i t h n o t o n l y a g l i m p s e o f t h e s o c i o -c u l t u r a l h i s t o r y o f B u r m a b u t a l s o a p e r s o n a l a c c o u n t o f S u u ' s p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n h e r p e o p l e ' s s t r u g g l e for d e m o c r a c y .
S u u ' s e s s a y s c o m e i n t h r e e b a t c h e s , l i k e a t r i p t y c h o f h e r p o l i t i c a l t h o u g h t s , r e f l e c t i o n s o n B u r m e s e h i s t o r y a n d c u l t u r e a n d r e m e m b r a n c e s . H e r e a r l i e r w r i t i n g s , c o m p l e t e d be f o re h e r r e t u r n to B u r m a i n 1 9 8 8 , m a k e u p t h e b o o k ' s f i r s t p a r t . I n c l u d e d a r e a d a u g h t e r ' s r e m e m b r a n c e o f h e r f a t h e r , A u n g S a n , t h e r e v e r e d l e a d e r o f t h e n a t i o n a l i s t m o v e m e n t i n t h e 1 9 3 0 s a n d 1 9 4 0 s ; e s s a y s o n t h e l i t e r a r y a n d c u l t u r a l h e r i t a g e o f B u r m a ; a n d a c o m p a r a t i v e s t u d y o f i n t e l l e c t u a l d e v e l o p m e n t i n B u r m a a n d I n d i a u n d e r c o l o n i a l i s m .
F o r m i n g t h e b o o k ' s m i d d l e p a r t a r e m i s c e l l a n e o u s d o c u m e n t s c o m p o s e d b y S u u d u r i n g h e r i n m i e r s i o n i n t h e B u r m e s e p e o p l e ' s d e m o c r a t i c s t r u g g l e . C o l l e c t i v e l y , t h e s e a r t i c l e s c o n v e y s o m e t h i n g of t h e a t m o s p h e r e of t h e
w h o l e m o v e m e n t a n d S u u ' s r e s p o n s e to the u n f o l d i n g s i t u a t i o n . T h e d o c u m e n t s are a r r a n g e d i n c h r o n o l o g i c a l s e q u e n c e f r o m the t i m e S u u r e t u r n e d to B u r m a , w h e r e a f t e r she q u i c k l y s t e p p e d i n t o t h e p o l i t i c a l s c e n e by i s s u i n g h e r f i r s t p o l i t i c a l m a n i f e s t o , u p to the e v e n t s t h a t l e d to h e r h o u s e a r r e s t i n J u l y 1989.
F i n a l l y , t h e r e a re t h e e s s a y s w r i t t e n b y other p e o p l e a b o u t S u u . T h e r e a r e t h e p o i g n a n t and o f t e n h u m o r o u s r e m i n i s c e n c e s b y t w o people w h o h a v e k n o w n S u u be f o r e s h e b e c a m e a s y m b o l o f B u r m a ' s s t r u g g l e for d e m o c r a c y . S u u ' s g r o w i n g u p y e a r s a r e r e c a l l e d b y M a T h a n E , a c l o s e f r i e n d o f t h e A u n g S a n f a m i l y and w h o m S u u r e f e r r e d to a s a n " e m e r g e n c y aunt . ' M e a n w h i l e A n n P a s t e r n a k S l a t e r , S u u ' s n e i g h b o r a n d c l o s e f r i e n d i n E n g l a n d , wri tes a b o u t S u u ' s a c a d e m i c y e a r s i n O x f o r d a n d her f a m i l y l i fe w i t h M i c h a e l A r i s . T h e t w o other e s s a y s a r e b y t w o a c a d e m i c s w h o h a v e closely f o l l o w e d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t s f r o m E n g l a n d and t h e r i s e o f S u u a s B u r m a ' s p r i m e s p o k e s p e r s o n i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t a g e . W h a t e m e r g e s from t h e s e w r i t i n g s , s p e c i a l l y t h o s e o f h e r f r iends ' , i s a m o r e r o u n d e d p i c t u r e o f S u u a s a pe r son .
H e r m e d i a c e l e b r i t y n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , the q u e s t i o n b e g s to b e a s k e d : W h o i s A u n g San S u u K y i ? H o w d o e s one a c c o u n t for h e r meteoric r i s e a n d c o n t i n u e d p o p u l a r i t y i n a c o u n t r y w h e r e t h e m i l i t a r y h a s d o m i n a t e d a l l aspec ts o f l i fe for t h e p a s t 3 2 y e a r s a n d w h e r e n o w o m a n i n m o d e m t i m e s h a s e v e r b e e n c o n s i d e r e d for n a t i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p ?
J o s e f S i l v e r s t e i n , o n e o f t h e b o o k ' s c o n t r i b u t o r s , g i v e s a v e r y t e l l i n g r e p l y : "There a r e n o r e a l c u l t u r a l i m p e d i m e n t s to a w o m a n
42 Women in Action No. 1,1996
as a leader i n B u r m a . T h r o u g h o u t i t s h is tory , women have enjoyed equal i ty w i t h m e n i n the household a n d the economy. Marriage was a n d is a c iv i l act; w o m e n r e ta in the i r o w n n a m e s du r ing m a r r i a g e , a n d d i v o r c e i s a s i m p l e procedure w i t h no s t i gma a t tached to e i ther party. More important , women have always h a d the r ight of i n h e r i t a n c e . O n l y i n B u d d h i s t religious t e rms were they cons idered inferior. "
B u t wh i l e B u r m e s e pre -co lon ia l h i s to ry i s replete w i t h i n s t a n c e s where w o m e n a t ta ined positions of power a n d in f luence , the role of w o m e n i n p o l i t i c s , a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d diplomacy de t e r i o ra t ed d u r i n g the c o l o n i a l period. Th i s infer ior pos i t i on pers is ts u p to the present. F r o m the co l on ia l per iod onwards , women's o r gan i z a t i ons became a t t a ched to political parties. Coun t l e s s women part ic ipated in the nat iona l i s t struggle of the co lon ia l per iod and many w o r k e d c lose ly w i t h the m e n who were the ir leaders . B u t they never ach ieved leadership i n their o w n right. Under the mihta iy dictatorship, women 's soc ia l a n d poUtical s tatus further deter iorated.
A u n g S a n S u u K y i i s spec ia l i n so m a n y ways. As ide f rom he r be ing the daughter of a national hero , she h a s a n u m b e r of qua l i t i es which prepared he r we l l to enter a n d r ise i n the po l i t i ca l a r e n a i n he r o w n r ight. S u u i s inteUigent a n d we l l - educa ted , hav ing f in i shed her educat ion i n Ind ia a n d later at Oxford. She is also wide ly- t rave led . After l eav ing Oxford, she went to New Yo rk where she was employed for some time at the U n i t e d Nat ions Secretariat. Small a n d t h i n b u t feisty, S u u possesses a commanding presence that h a s been proven repeatedly by he r capac i ty to at tract crowds i n their thousands .
Bu t it i s her courage i n the face of adversity that s tands out as most ou t s t and ing feature. In response to the mi l i ta ry ' s se izure of power on 18 September 1988 after G e n e r a l Ne W i n resigned a n d ca l l ed for a re f e rendum to adopt a multi-party system, S u u j o ined i n the founding of the Nat ional League of Democracy (NLD) and became i ts general-secretary.
In her p o s i t i o n , S u u spoke ou t s h a r p l y against the m u r d e r i n the streets of B u r m e s e youth, a n d the mi l i ta ry ' s v io la t ions of h u m a n rights. A t one t ime, she was a c cused by the mihtary of a l l ow ing herse l f to be m a n i p u l a t e d by the c o m m u n i s t s Her party, the N L D , was equated w i th the b a n n e d Burmese C o m m u n i s t Party. She par r i ed the a t tacks by te l l ing the
mi l i ta ry that she h a s a m i n d of he r own a n d by expe l l ing afterwards her co-party leader at N L D who was m a k i n g s im i l a r charges.
D e s p i t e t h e m i l i t a r y ' s b a n o n p u b l i c gather ings , S u u trave led a r o u n d B u r m a a n d gathered crowds i n the t h o u s a n d s . O n 5 A p r i l 1989, whi le campaign ing i n D a n u b y u province, a n army capta in ordered h i s soldiers to a i m their rifles at her . She w a l k e d towards the so ld iers as the cap ta in started the c o u n t d o w n for the f i r ing. A n a rmy major s tepped forward a n d c o u n t e r m a n d e d the order , p r e v e n t i n g h e r assass inat ion .
O n 20 J u l y 1989, the mi l i t a ry in tens i f i ed i ts a t tacks aga inst the democrat ic oppos i t ion . Many NLD leaders and supporters were arrested a n d S u u a n d N L D cha i r T i n U were p laced u n d e r house arrest. S u u immediate ly began a hunge r s t r ike w h e n her d e m a n d to be p u t i n the same j a i l as her supporters was tv imed down by the mUita iy . The hunger str ike, w h i c h lasted 12 days, ended only after S u u was a s s u r e d by her captors that her suppor te rs w o u l d not be t reated i n h u m a n l y a n d w o u l d be g i ven due process.
I n M a y 1 9 9 0 , t h e e l e c t i o n s for t h e const i tut iona l assembly was he ld . T h o u g h S u u was not a l lowed by the mihtary to r u n , the N L D s t i l l w o n more t h a n 80 per cent of the seats. B u t the mi l i tary re f i ised to recognize the resu l ts of the election. Instead, it t ightened the dragnet aga inst the N L D . B y the e n d of October 1990, on ly four of NLD ' s leaders were free.
S u u ' s captors have f inal ly let her out bu t the restr ict ions on her movements remain . Yet, S u u pe r s i s t s i n he r work , a d d r e s s i n g l o c a l meet ings a n d demonstra t ions a n d lobby ing for i n t e r n a t i o n a l s u p p o r t to t h e d e m o c r a c y m o v e m e n t i n B u r m a . H e r i n i t i a l p u b l i c speeches indicate that Suu ' s commitment to the struggle for democracy i n B u r m a is unwaver ing.
S u u is not only r e shap ing B u r m a ' s poht ics , b u t i s also h e l p ing reinvigorate the B u r m e s e w o m e n to r e c l a im the role they h a d p layed i n pre -co lon ia l t imes : coequal , i f not better, w i t h m e n i n a l l aspects of life.
Jing Porte is a projects consultant of KABABAIHAN, a women's center working with urban poor women and trade unions. She was the coordinator for South East Asia of the Hong Kong-based Committee for Asian Workers in the early 1980s, and has written extensively about Filipino women workers.
Women in Action No. 1, 1996