The General's Speech

The NewsDesk crew in Mae Sot was able to monitor the speech of the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Senior General Than Shwe, delivered on Defense Services Day, 27 March. The speech could be described as significant not just in terms of what was said but also because of what wasn't.

Sr Gen Than Shwe, in an apparent reference to resolving political problems in the country, said, "When tackling problems that exist between us, a confrontational approach can only worsen the dispute and make it more difficult to resolve. That is why we are adopting the principle of harmony in such matters. I have to emphasize that we are all travelers in the same boat and therefore all of us must participate in the constructive tasks of the nation with a spirit of amity and cooperation."

The phrase, "Tha Ha Zar Ta Pyit Ye Mu," in Burmese was translated in the official press release as the "principle of harmony." The phrase could also be interpreted as a "principle to bring about an end result that would meet everybody's interests."

Another significant development is Sr Gen Than Shwe refraining from mentioning the phrase, "To eliminate all dangers threatening the State together with the people," which was one of the declared "political objectives" of the Defense Services Day.

All major events in Burma are celebrated by the military with "political objectives" and leaders speaking on such occasions always highlight these objectives in their speeches, except for this time.

The late Lt Gen Tin Oo, described by observers as a hardliner, chaired the "leading committee" for Defense Services Day celebrations, which laid down the "political objectives" for the occasion. His passing away on 19 February may have helped change the atmosphere.

Sr Gen Than Shwe also saw "democracy" in a positive light when he said, "If you look at the countries which have practiced democracy for a long time you will see that they are modern, developed, and industrialized. They have high per capita income, highly skilled and developed human resources, and are able to work together for national development regardless of differences in party policies." But he also said, "In the world today you will see that some developing nations have lost their peace and stability and are facing many difficulties because they prematurely transformed to a democracy without having firm foundations."

In other words, don't expect democracy overnight.