Maggots Coming Out of the Flesh

8/6/2019 Maggots Coming Out of the Flesh

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Maggots Coming Out Of The Flesh

By Saneitha Nagani

In a Burmese saying, It is difficultto wake someone who is pretendingto be asleep (eikchi-

yaung hsaung-thaw-thu, ahnoe-khet-thi). The saying did not have much relevance to me until I read

what our man inthe United States the spy who defected from the Burmese embassy in

Washington U Aung Lynn Htutmentioned inone of his writings published in Burma Today that,

Soldiers have to know thoroughly about corruptionof military dictators. Mostofthe soldiers are

unaware aboutthe corruptionof military dictators. How considerate of him to point itoutto us

that soldiers are ignorantofthe corruption amongthe rulinggenerals? Please get real Mr Major.

The soldiers in Burma are not living in another country let alone liningon another planet.

That is one ofthe classical examples ofthe military in Burma and soldiers playing dumb when

corruptionof all kinds by their leaders was taken place right, left, and centre. It may vary as tothe

matter ofthe amount and the extent, butnottothe knowledge that corruption varies only in direct

ratio with the rank ofthe military official. The practice is widespread and it evengets tothe wives,

the mistresses and the restoftheir families. It seems to me thatthose inthe military whenthey say

thatthey did not know about it sounded more like the Germans saying after the War they did not

know what Hitler was doing. People have to vigilant with their governments. Sometimes, knowingor

unknowingly, even people in countries with democratic system could be misled by their government

with the help ofthe mass media and became complicit inthe crimes which they mightopposed to

innormal circumstances.

Professor Noam Chomsky has elucidated us with factual materials and examples. Inone of his

answers in regard to a question about government secrecy he said that, If you wanttotraumatize

people,treasontrials are an extreme way ifthere are spies running around inour midst,then

were really introuble, wed better just listentothe government and stop thinking. Look, every

government has a need to frighten its population, and one way of doing is to shroud its workings in

mystery. Neither General Ne Winnor General Saw Maung and their successors ever mentioned

thatthey are takingover power because they wantto enrich themselves and their families.

Obviously they have to say, We have to protectthe Union from disintegrating, Our purpose of

formingthe government was merely to establish the fundamental characteristics of a sovereign

nations and expedite relations with other countries as well as for the distributionof responsibilities..

there is no desire whatsoever to clingonto power for a long period. One has to ask, how long is

long? Twenty years? Thirty years? Forty, fifty or even centuries?

I became a political exile just because of exercising my basic rights of questioningthe legitimacy of

the government. I have neither sold out my country nor sold my soul to anybody for anything. For

this,the military regime called me thatI am an axe handle(pyipa ahkoe paukhseing-yoe). Even

though the axe handle was borne or made outof wood it would be used to cutother wood. The axe

handle may be used in cutting wood but it is always done for and with a purpose, as a means to an

end. As one ofthe most basic necessity, wood has to be cut for firewood which in itself has a

higher purpose - to serve the needs man inother aspects of his life. What aboutthe maggots? Do

they have a higher purpose in life? I donotthink so. What aboutthe military regime relyingon

China for money, for its survival and protection inthe United Nations and other international


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organizations, doesntthat make them pyipa ahkoe (reliant on foreign power)? [I donot wantto

mention intoto here the popular sentimentthe Burmese people have for the military dependency

on China as, Tayoke ahkoe, ma-aei l**.(pardon my French.)]

When someone collaborated with someone notoftheir ownkitor kinto seek a shortterm benefit

atthe expense of his country and his people then such persons are described as maggots coming

outofthe flesh. (atha-the-ka lauk-htwet). Colluding with China and killingoff the economic life-

line ofour own country is surely a betrayal of a kind - the mother of all betrayals. The dam the

military regime allowed China to construct atthe source ofthe Irrawaddy is more like an actof

treachery - selling your own mother into slavery for the sake of enriching yourself. Those inthe

military who wantto claim thatthe corruption and enrichingthemselves withinthe military regime

was done withouttheir knowledge must have toexplain why they have no knowledge of whatnot

knowing what has beengoingon. Ifthey cannot,thenthey are like those whohave losttheir sense

of smell and sothey will eat anythingthattheir generals shoved downtheir throats even ifthat be

the excrement. (nakhaung-mapar-hlin, chee-kywei-yin-taung sa-me). The military would have

writtenthemselves into history as, Tayoke loke-kywei tat (the military who served the Chinese) as

Pagans kingNarathihapateor Kweichi-min (dirty dog king) was recorded in history as Tayoke-pyei-min (The king who flee from the Chinese).

Ifthe rulinggenerals are doingthis under the very noses ofthe people includingthe military, who is

goingto stop military officers inthe junior ranks to do ulna acts like selling identity cards to illegal

Chinese. The military authorities in areas such as Ho Mong, Mai Soong, Mong Hsat, Kengtung and

Tachilekare reported to have been doingthis kind of acts of betrayal totheir country as early as

1996 (ifone is totake into accountthe infiltrationof illegal Chinese from Yunnan and elsewhere in

China into Mandalay city alone,one could say with confidence thatthis has beengoingon for a long,

longtime now). Ifnot for that, why the leaders from China would whenthey visited Burma would be

askingthe military regime to provide protection for the Chinese in Burma. Little have they realized

that because ofthe genocide committed by the military against itown people, in particular, intheareas of ethnic minorities, ifthere is a slim chance that whenthe circumstances ofthe military

regime losing control ofthe military arise there could be a backlash againstthe Chinesetothe

extentthatone might has to resorttothe use ofthe new term - Sino-cide.

IfI were the policymaker in China I would be very cautious of how I mightgo about defusing or

stoppingthe tension from increasing betweenthe military regime and the people inthe Kachin

state. To whatI perceived from the situationonthe ground this cannot be done withoutthe

suspensionofthe constructionofthe dam atthe source of Burmas economic life-line the

Irrawaddy. Eventhe countrys infrastructure project carried out by a governmentthat is perceived

by the people as legitimate, without community consultation first, can faced stiffopposition and

worse still if it does not bring little or no benefittothe local population. How on earth can a projectthat will only benefit a handful ofgenerals inthe military government,the Chinese in China and

maybe some oftheir cronies, whoever is the policy maker is he must be hedginghis bets a loton an

unrealistic and unreasonable risk?

Hans Morgenthau wrote in his book, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace,

that, a theory of politics must be subjected tothe dual testof reason and experience. The test,

accordingto him, .. must be judged not by some preconceived abstract principle or concept


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unrelated to reality, but by its purpose. Whether one regarded himself as a realist or a

pragmatist in international politics and in state relations one has to keep in mind the maxim that,

in state relations there are only interests and not friends. Ifthe military regime or the leadership in

China thinks that all these infrastructure projects that will solely benefit China and nowhere near

benefitthe people of Burma but atthe expense oftheir livelihood,the destructionoftheir

environment and many other social impacts,then rest assured that you have made an enemy foryourselfoutofthe people in Burma for a longtime to come.

The military regime will be gone,one way or another and sooneror later butthe people of Burma

will be there for a long haul. As the sayinggoes, You can choose your friends but you cannot choose

your neighbours. If China is to be a good neighbour then China must behave towards the people in

Burma as a good neighbour. No country is an island thatthey can exists in isolation.Daw Aung San

Suu Kyihas made this point clear in her interview with Alan Clements when she was asked whether

it was because Burma was of no strategic interest tothe West, and therefore expendable, she

answered that, We are not dependingon either the Westor the Eastto help us through. But we

know that inthis day and age the opinionofthe international community cannot be ignored. No

country can survive by itself. No country can be an island unto itself. We know that. And we wanttolive in a world where each country is linked tothe others through bonds of humanity. We will always

try to promote such an atmosphere.

Ifthere is no such link between countries inthe globalised world then why would China be worried

aboutthe debtnegotiations inthe United States betweenthe White House,the Democrats and the

Republicans in both the Congress and the Senate? The economic problem inthe United States will

definitely have impacton China and thus the possibility of instability and social unrest in China as

well. Likewise, either outof arrogance or ignorance, hedgingontheir bets to prop up the unpopular

military regime in Burma atthe expense ofthe longterm friendship ofthe people, China itself will be

the one to blame for its flawed policies towards Burma.

Recently, anti-China sentiment has beenonthe rise. Ifone was to scanthrough whatwas reported

in various news media,one could easy find how much pent-up anger and hatred inside the Burmese

populationtowards the military regime and their protector China could be reckoned. A well known

Burmese history professor Dr Than Tunonce said thatthe reasonone study history is notto be

ignorant. It was mentioned in an article that William Yandell Elliot was Henry Kissingers first and

lastingguide tothe American mind at its most exacting. What Kissinger took from Elliot was that

withoutgraspingthe long arc oftime, any accountof politics and government would be shallow and

self-defeating. Not knowing history accordingtoKissinger was a tremendous handicap. He said he

always cited some historical analogy when he talked to policymakers.

Policymakers in China should not forgetthatwhen anti-Chinese riots broke out in Burma in mid 1967a reporter wrote inthe Working Peoples Dailythat, What happened recently could not have been

predicted by any stretch of imaginationor foresight. A seemingly small and insignificant matter of

[Mao] badge-wearing exploded to engulfthe whole nation. Unlike now, before that happened there

was almostno anti-Chinese sentimentharbored withinthe community. Followingthe eventof

frenzy and blind fury was the bloodlettingnot justonly upon innocent Chinese but alsoonChinese

looking Burmese took place and tothe extentthat a Chinese aid official atthe Chinese embassy was

stabbed to death by the demonstrators. Can leadership in China be confidentthatthe military (not a


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unified or monolithic entity as it might perceived to be)would be protectingthe Chinese againsttheir

own countrymenthus the military makingthemselves worthy ofthe tag as maggots comingoutof

the flesh? I donotthink so. END

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Maggots Coming Out of the Flesh