Sonia Gandhi at the UN speaks up for the relevance of Gandhian non-violence… “Ladies and Gentlemen, it is not the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi that is in question today, what is in question today is whether we have the courage to emulate what he preached and practiced, what he lived and died for.”
Why is India silent on Myanmar? Chat with Vidya Shankar Aiyar
Clearly, India does not have the courage when it comes to Myanmar/Burma. What better example of non-violent demonstration exists in today’s world? Prayerful monks beaten to submission by a merciless military junta?
India does not utter one word of condemnation against the military junta in Myanmar. Instead, the MEA and the Foreign Minister, not to mention even the new Army Chief, mouth platitudes about how it is the ‘internal matter’ of Myanmar. Even the US is urging that India and China do more, to use their good offices and “support the cause of freedom”, in the words of State Department, deputy Spokesman Tom Casey today.
Pranab Mukherjee today says, “We should try to engage the country concerned in negotiations, in talk, in dialogue.” Does this mean India is now going to ‘talk’ to the regime or did he mean leaving it to the UN envoy, Ibrahim Gambari?
Even little Singapore’s PM, Lee Hsien Loong, who also happens to be the ASEAN head for now, writes a letter to Myanmar’s Senior General Than Shwe, urging him to “exercise utmost restraint” and to seek “a political solution for national reconciliation and a peaceful transition to democracy.” (quoted in The Hindu, 2 October 2007, p.14)
India has dreams of sitting at the nuclear high table. It has dreams of being the next permanent member at the UN Security Council. Yet, it doesn’t have the backbone to talk to the Myanmar government on what is universally condemned around the world without jeopardizing its economic interests. India just doesn’t know how to behave like a big power.
Myanmar is a case for an intelligent initiative that can exemplify what India can do if it sets its mind to it. Do we have it in us?
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