Statement at the Community of Democracies Conference - 26 June 2000

Transcript of the Statement by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
to the Community of Democracies Ministerial Conference,June 26, 2000

It is an honor and a tremendous opportunity to be able to speak to all those who are gathered here today, to discuss the building of a world founded on democratic values. This, I think, is what this conference is all about: Building a world founded on democratic values, which in turn are founded on basic human rights. What we all want is basic human rights, rights that will give us the right balance between freedom and security.

I think it has been proven that, of all the imperfect systems that exist in our world today, democracy is the best for the people at large. It may not be the best for governments, but this is not our main aim, to find out what is best for governments. Our main aim is to find out what is best for the peoples of our world.

As somebody from a country deprived of democratic values, I understand very well the value that we speak of. For us, democratic values are not values on paper. Democratic values are what we are lacking in our everyday life. It is because of the lack of democratic values that we have to question how many of our friends have been arrested from day to day; how many of our friends are suffering from ill health in prison; how many more of our friends are in danger of arrest, imprisonment, torture, and other violations of human rights. So for us who are still aspiring towards democratic institutions, the most important thing is basic human rights.

It is of immense encouragement to us that the declaration of the community working for democracy in this world -- it's very difficult to say "the declaration of the community" afterwards a "community of democracies" -- (laughs) -- contain basic human rights, such as the right of the people to elect their own government. This is particularly important to us in Burma today. Ten years ago, we held free democratic elections in this country. But the results of the elections were not honored by the military regime. And for the last 10 years, the people have been suffering. It is not enough to say that people should have the right to free and fair elections. I think the world has to make certain that the outcome of these elections is honored. Unless the outcome of elections is honored, there is very little point to holding them.

We have fought for the last 10 years for the will of the people to be recognized. The people bravely expressed their will in 1990, but still their will has not been recognized. The people of Burma want something very simple. They want the opportunity to be able to shape their own lives. When we fought for independence from the British before 1947, the Burmese people asked for the right to shape their own destiny. Now that we are fighting for democracy, we are asking for the same thing. We are asking for the right to shape our own destiny.

It is not for any government, whether a colonial one or a military regime, to decide how the people should live, which way a country should go. It is for all the peoples of a country to determine the destiny of the nation.So the message of those who want democracy for Burma to this conference would be: It is so important to recognize that democracy is based on the people.

Democracy is not based on governments. There are many governments in this world today which pretend that they are democracies or that they're working for democratic values, but in fact they are not. Unless the people are allowed to be heard, unless the people are allowed not just freedom of speech and freedom of association, but, as somebody very pertinently pointed out, freedom after speech and freedom after association, we shall not be able to build up the democratic institutions.

In Burma we know that we will be better off with a government that is accountable, that is transparent, that knows that if it does not abide by its promises to the people, it risks being flung out at the next elections. It is only such governments that will look to the good of the nation sincerely, rather than to the perpetuation of their own power. This is the tragedy of authoritarian regimes -- that their main concern is the perpetuation of their own power, and by concentrating on this concern, they destroy their nations. Perhaps they do not mean to do so.Many authoritarian governments justify their presence in the name of patriotism, in the name of nationalism, in the name of development and progress. But very seldom are they able to bring out true development, true progress in human terms.We in Burma want democracy because we think that this is the political system that will bring us human progress, that will help our people to develop their potential, to realize their potential. We think that democratic institutions are essential for peace and unity within the country, as well as peace and harmony within the region and within the world.

In Burma, we have not had internal peace, true internal peace, since independence. We have to work for it. In order to work for it, we need to be able to talk to each other. Burma is made up of many ethnic peoples, and unless there is freedom to discuss, to negotiate, to find common values, we shall never make any progress towards genuine peace in our country. So for the sake of peace in our country, for the sake of the progress and human development of our people, and for the sake of peace and harmony in our region and in our world, we would like to urge the peoples of the free world to work harder towards bringing true democratic progress everywhere.We would like to see action, rather than words. There have been many words supporting democracy, and we are duly grateful for them, because we do not underestimate the power of words. But words need to be backed up by action -- by action that is united and that is focused on essentials. Only by such action will we be able to realize our democratic aspirations.

I would like to thank the government of Poland for organizing this conference, the foreign minister of Poland for inviting me to give this message, and all the participants for what they are doing to promote democracy in our world. I would like to thank you, and I would like to request you to use the opportunity to take democratic progress one concrete step further by holding this meeting.

Thank you very much.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Rangoon, Burma