UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is still reportedly searching for a new special envoy to Burma to succeed the Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari.
Ban has said that his chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, has been continuously engaging himself with the Burmese authorities. More consultations would be held as soon as a clearer picture emerged of regime intentions, he said.
It's doubtful, however, that the regime leaders, in this election year, will be ready to accommodate a new UN envoy, who is unlikely to achieve any meaningful breakthrough in the absence of political will on the part of junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe. A ceremonial welcome at Naypyidaw is as much as can be expected.
Some political analysts have suggested holding up the appointment of a new envoy until after the election. If the UN wants to continue to engage Burma before the election, it should keep open a line of communication there and perhaps send a mid-level fact-finding UN delegation to Burma and neighboring countries.
Analysts suggest that UN officials need public consultation to appoint a new UN envoy. They say that before appointing an envoy, the UN needs to identify its own strength, leverage, pressure and opportunity in Burma and to make a thorough analysis and map out a strategy. It will be a failed mission again unless the UN conducts a thorough analysis and engages in some soul- searching over failed missions of the past.
After the 1988 uprising, the UN dispatched several UN envoys to Burma, but they all failed miserably. Burma has become a graveyard for UN envoys.
In view of these failures, some do's and don'ts are perhaps in order when selecting a new envoy:
Do appoint someone with in-depth knowledge of Burma, who understands the political landscape there and who respects the dignity of the people of Burma and Southeast Asia.
Do select a person who has a solid background on the reconciliation process in conflict zones.
Do select a person who could gain the trust and confidence of the regime, the opposition, ethnic leaders and Burmese activists.
Do appoint a person who will not become a spin doctor of the UN and the regime.
Do select a person who is willing to listen to all sides and who is willing to engage with all stake-holders inside and outside Burma.
Do select a person who is honest and willing to admit failure instead of keeping the process in limbo.
Don't select a person who will become a mouthpiece of the regime, aid groups and business people.
Don't select a person who will not do the necessary homework and conduct thorough analysis.
Don't select someone who stands to reap personal gain from the job and who has a conflict of interests in Burma.
Don't select someone who will allow the regime to organize visits and arrange schedules to include attendance at regime-organized rallies, where the opposition and ethnic groups are denounced.
Don't select someone who will spend his time at Rangoon's Traders Hotel nursing hangovers after late-night drinking sessions with Burmese girls
Don't select someone just for the sake of filling the UN musical chairs. And don't, under any circumstances, appoint anyone from Nigeria.
Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]
Why not democracy, MP4: the real kind, not the 'controlled' 'organised' 'allowed' or polluted kind?
Burma is an incredibly beautiful country, and its rich diverse people deserve all that many other countries enjoy. Like freedom from fear and intimidation, not to mention the rest.
Freedom to rebuild from a Holocaust.
Believe me, no-one outside Burma is playing down or ignoring the horrors. Even the "other torturers" and "traders" are being fully exposed, and embarrassed that their part in Burma's horrors is now known to all.
Interesting that MP4 calls it a "dispute" between the oppressors and the democratically elected government. Most people would call it attempted genpocide, an unbelievable humanitarian catastrophe, a military coup, a cruel medieval dictatorship, or just sheer unspeakably thuggish brutality and murder. Let's get real here.
Why NOT democracy? I'm sure the Burmese people can work out the details.
Myanmar Patriot 4 UMPF Wrote:
08/02/2010
U Thank was not a law professional. He was a teacher. We Burmese/Myanmars revere 1.Pyaya, 2.Taya, 3.Thanga (Sangha),4. Mee(t)bah - 't' is silent AND 5. Sayar. U Thant was a 'sayar', not the kind of teacher of the West, in jeans and sweat shirt having fun with young students. U Thant had intellect, humility and diplomatic skills; greatest ever UN Secretary General. You know which countries did not recognise him as a great statesman? No, we are not talking about Burma; we are talkiing about two particular Western countires.
By the way, law training is not relevant because there is no 'corpus' of law to use as a tool for settling the dispute between NLD and SDPC; there are issues of raison d'etat. Why should SPDC or NLD accept alien mediation? Why not Burmese mediation?
Ngal Hriang Wrote:
07/02/2010
The problem is Myanmar Patriot does not know he is a sick man. A sick man needs the doctor. Myanmar Patriot and Than Shwe need healer.
Myanmar Patriot 4 UMPF Wrote:
05/02/2010
We don't need the UN at all for internal politics. Send the envoy to the UK, US or any country that pulls the strings of the UN.
Oo Maung Gyi Wrote:
04/02/2010
It is not suitable for the UN to send a special envoy to the Burmese junta any more for reconciliation purposes, because Snr General Than Shwe is going to hold election during this year. Once he declares election law and formation of election commission to hold election, the NLD is automatically dissolved until and unless the NLD register as political party in the election commission office. Once the NLD registers at the commission office it is presumed that the NLD as a political party will have to stand in the election, thereby peoples of Burma will get a chance to vote in favour of NLD.
In such above mentioned scenario the junta and their family members will have to consider whom to vote for. Either Aung San Suu Kyi or Junta alied parties. Since there will be more alied parties, naturally there will be confusion in their minds, but one thing is sure that all army families like ASSK, because she is the only daughter of the father of Burmese army is an undeniable fact. That is the history which peoples never forget in their mind.
Kyaik-ka-san Wrote:
04/02/2010
I would like to add few points:
· Not from Asia and Africa, absolutely not from Burma’s neighboring countries;
· Avoid person who is from inner circle of the UN staff but either from the West or Latin America countries;
· Select one who has previous pertinent record in this area, such as U Thant or Jimmy Carter;
· Person who is a law professional; and
· The one who has creativity and will not influenced by Mainland China.
Tom Tun Wrote:
04/02/2010
Ko Aung Zaw,
Your Dos and Don'ts are perfect and reflect ordinary Burmese citizens. However, isn't it a little late for UN to sent another envoy to Burma? Constitution is drafted, election is already plan and military personals are in position as they have wished. Those are the results from UN mess up in Burmese politic. Don't you think UN should consider how to untangle their mess, instead of searching for another UN envoy? I also believe it will takes another 100 years for UN to find Mr perfect guy with your standard. Even if there is Mr perfect guy, Burmese regime still need to cooperate with UN. This is my own opinion. Another opinion is world is giving too much carrots to regime, I think it is about time to show them a little bit of damaging sticks.
Claire Ho Wrote:
04/02/2010
I wish I worked for the UN as I would give anything to have a chance at working towards a democratic Burma, the problem is, unless you are one of the people it is far too easy to forget about the people's conditions, and if you are one of the people (although we come in masses) you have no power
Kyi May Kaung Wrote:
03/02/2010
Well said, Ko Aung Zaw.
What is the use of just appointing someone for infrequent junkets to Burma?
I think it was in Irrawaddy that I read that Mr. Gambari, I almost wrote "the late Mr. G." was called kyauk yu pyan by the Burmese.
That means "take gems and go home."
It is well known that the junta has people selecting gems to give as gifts to visiting dignitaries and a friend of a friend who works at World Bank even showed presents she received to her office mates after a Burma visit.
How can you expect integrity from people like that!
Whomever UN sends, junta will wine them and dine them and try to move them over to be "their PR persons," as you rightly say.
I'm sure you heard of the visit to Burma's highest mountain in Kachin State, which some "Burma experts" accepted, in about 2004.
Junta learned this from Gen. Ne Win, who famously wooed a British woman researcher writing about Saya San Revolution.
Why did a researcher need a special train and trips?
Kyi May Kaung Ph.D.
George Than Setkyar Heine Wrote:
03/02/2010
Then UN will have no envoy for Burma as there is none in the rank and file fitting the criteria.
Anyway, the world body needs not to worry for US is engaging directly with Than Shwe and his thugs. Hurrah!
And the BIG FIVE are running the show, right?
There is money - a pittance for that matter - in the pipeline for Burma's democracy from the US already.
Only we need nukes and dudes to run the show and get the better of the monk murderers of course.
Shooting the breeze and boozing only on the part of UN envoys for Burma would not get the job done.
The South Korean holding the UN's helm today is also at a loss and clueless to get the vipers at Naypyidaw to say the least.
And Obama is still doing his rounds around the world getting familiar with his domain and visiting childhood haunts while Burma is in its last throes and woes before going asunder for the last time.
Thus, it is left to the Burmese people to MAKE or BREAK at this juncture like they say
"ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL".
timothy Wrote:
03/02/2010
Had any UN appointed special envoy behaved badly as stipulate here in the list? Late night sessions and bribery are bad enough to name and shame that particular envoy and official enquiry and criminal prosecution must be pursued. No one is above the law in civilised world and is that UN Chief not able to discipline this envoy if allegations are true? Otherwise UN office is also riddle with culture of corruption and bribe taking. Do not waste the money.
SST Wrote:
03/02/2010
Before working for Burmese people, the UN needs to develop a strategy how to deter its Special (ordinary) envoys from having their fundamental human rights violated the moment they set their feet on Than Shwe's soils.
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