What about the people of Burma? Could they collectively be named Person of the Year?

The people took to the streets in 1988, did so again in 2007, and have historically demonstrated the capacity to rise up against their oppressors when necessary. But how about their participation in 2010?

Many joined the election boycott movement in an attempt to throw the junta off course on their political road map. Some participated in the election and won at least a few seats in parliament, from which they can challenge the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Yet all of these efforts failed at stopping the generals from accomplishing what they set out to do: hold the election and win enough seats in parliament to dominate the new government and preserve their iron grip on power.

With this thought in mind, it occurred to me that being named Person of the Year does not necessarily need to honor the person chosen, nor does it mean that the person chosen had a good or positive impact on the country. It simply recognizes the individual or group who has had the most significant impact on the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of society.

So who had the same impact on Burmese society as Zuckerberg had on the world community?

Unfortunately, if one is honest, only one person fits that bill: Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

It was Than Shwe that directed Burma's two biggest dramas of 2010: the election and Suu Kyi's release. With respect to the election, he carefully selected the actors and actresses, including those he wanted and excluding those he didn't. He also carefully wrote and got the players to follow his own personal script, and the drama culminated in a Hollywood ending for the junta when the USDP won by a landslide. 

This did not happen quickly or by accident: Than Shwe has been planning the events of 2010 for almost two decades. By orchestrating the approval of the new Constitution in 2008 and the election result in 2010, Than Shwe automatically eradicated the results of the 1990 election in which Suu Kyi's NLD party won more than 80 percent of the seats contested, and guaranteed that his regime will remain firmly entrenched as the real rulers of Burma, possibly for decades to come, behind the facade of a civilian government.

Then, by setting Suu Kyi free in a calculated move, he was able to distract international attention away from the sham election and onto the fact that Burma's pro-democracy icon was now able to meet with foreign leaders and the press. Amazingly, despite the negative long-term implications of the election for the country, within a week after the polls Than Shwe managed to manipulate the people of Burma and the international community into feeling not just satisfied, but euphoric. 
 
Unfortunately, but without a doubt, Than Shwe is Burma's 2010 Person of the Year.