"We cannot go on living in a fantasy world." January 29, 1999

Now, the military authorities are claiming that they are working towards democracy- this must be a fantasy. How can authorities who are so afraid to grant basic democratic rights to people build or construct democracy. The fact is that the present military authorities are in great fear of people power. Their minds seem to be set on the idea that only by keeping the people crushed and subjugated they can exist. Such people can never construct democracy.

If they had the guts, instead of saying that they are constructing democracy they would be saying " we will never give you democracy'".

In one of his speeches, my father said that people who claim that they have taken over power for love of their people and love of their country will earn no respect. They would gain some respect if they just said outright that it was for love of power. The National League for Democracy has never claimed that we are motivated by love of country or love for our people. We are motivated by our desire for human rights and democracy. Why do we want democracy and human rights because we want the people to reach a human standard that is equal to international norms. We don't go about flaunting the idea of love for country or love for our people.

Realistically, what we need is how many of our countrymen and women are starving. How many children are suffering from diseases due to malnutrition. How many mothers and babies have died at time of delivery. How many children have been denied primary education. How many have been denied access to any education. How many people have died because our hospitals have no medicines. We do not want to know about beautifying the landscape or the condition of the jungles, the rivers etc.

There is no need to think that saying certain things will create good impressions. Ou country will not prosper through constructing an imaginary world. There is much criticism about the democratic forces and our National League for Democracy. If I have to give an example, it is said that I am destructive and causing ruin to the country.

These utterances give the authorities such a bad reputation. Do they not understand this? Can they not overthrow our "destructive activities" with their "righteous operations"? The ones who wield authorities are in control of the entire administrative machinery, all the weaponry, all the country's resources and treasurers. How can this mighty group with so much power in their hands defend a country if they are still threatening to destroy and decimate a defenceless organisation that they have been everlastingly crushing and persecuting?

Acting as if they believe in democracy and treating this country like a plaything, building a fantasy world is the cause of all our problems. We can not continue in this way. That is why I am constantly reminding you that our problems will not be automatically solved once democracy is restored. Don't imagine this. Once democracy is restored we will still struggling for the preservation of democracy. We must build a strong and enduring foundation. After laying a foundation to build a house, manpower, money and expertise are required. A house built without architectural knowledge is not the same as that built with architectural knowledge and expertise. In addition, it is essential that we be honest and compassionate among ourselves.

We must all lay this foundation correctly. Then we must build that house with a continuous flow of material which involves many many things. As I have stated earlier, we will need money. Without money, materials can not be purchased. We need to be able to evaluate the goods. Having money only will not do. We need to know their value.

Therefore knowledge of such things is essential. We must have friends who can advise us about these values. We can not be isolated and stand alone in this world. We need good friends. Even with good friends, money, human and material resources and knowledge, this generation can not erect and complete this building. Our children and their children have to keep on building for a strong and durable structure.

We can not obtain a strong and durable structure easily. We can not drift along in any imaginary world. There will have to be great sacrifices, tremendous hard work and effort . We will have to wrestle with all our might to catch up with those countries that are ahead of us. Look at the two countries that lost the war - Germany and Japan. How they suffered and sacrificed the war. We have read about the hardship they went through. Because they made those sacrifices, they are the two leading countries in the world today. Similarly we will have to go through the same process. If you can suffer, you can gain. What is valuable can not be obtained without effort. Don't depend on assistance (without strings attached) from here to there. There is no such thing as "without strings attached". Strings get attached automatically. We, believers in Buddhism, know well all about this. Every circumstance has a reason and an effect and one's deed predetermines one's future.

Don't take everything that you can get or everything that is given to you. Benefit will only be derived if you use everything you get honestly. Our country will suffer if we spend easily what is easily got. The giving will not continue.

This is why we can not go on living in a fantasy world. For the members of the NLD, there is no time for dwelling in fantasies. What with having to run, and struggle and getting prison visitation permits, and obtaining information about who has been arrested -- there is no time for fantasy. Later on when democracy is granted, there will be no time to drifting into the fantasy world. Drifting will not benefit our country. But there is one thing and that is we must always have hope. There is a difference between having hope and dreaming. It is not wrong to have hope but you have to work towards achieving that hope. Just sitting down and dreaming will not do. Have one vision and struggle to achieve it. Our vision is that we will have genuine and a full measure of democracy and the full measure of human rights for which we will struggle on. A fantasy world is not what we want and that is not what we are building.