ARTICLE

COMMENTS (0)

RECOMMEND (282)

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PLUSONE

MORE

E-MAIL

PRINT

TEXT SIZE

But if you broaden your scope to other fields such as education, health, and religion, you will realize that there are thousands of possibilities. This consideration also reflects one of our strategic understandings-we must shape our democratic movement not only in terms of politics but also in terms of social and economic values and practices.

Going Above Ground

In practice, we must focus on the formation of Above Ground (AG) groups and movements/campaigns in every sector of society. At first, these groups might be small in scale, but their activities would be very healthy because of their independence from any authoritarian control. These groups should be decentralized and plural in structure. They need not be politicized. They should be allowed to grow and be self-empowered. They can choose what they want to do in their own way. In this way, we can encourage the development of democratic practices.

In fact, we have examples to draw on from our past. When Burma was under colonial rule, the ABFSU (student union) began as a purely social organization that was allowed by British. But later it shifted its direction and became much more political in nature. To give another example, the Malon Rice Donation Association, which provides rice to monks and nuns has remained a religious association since its founding in 1896. Both the ABFSU and the Malon Rice Donation Association are very healthy institutions for civil society, which have operated on their own terms and given people an opportunity to practice and develop a democratic culture. To some degree, they have also balanced the power of the State.

In conclusion, I believe that even as we continue our UG activities for mobilizing a mass uprising, we must also encourage the emergence of independent self-organized groups. These groups can serve as the beginnings of civil society, which is an essential structural foundation for the peaceful transformation of the country. Therefore we must devote our human and material resources to both purposes, because it is only by combining UG and AG work that we can bring about a genuine democratic transformation in Burma.

This article was contributed by Min Zin. Min Zin is a student activist now based in Thailand.