Myanmar: strategic issues
FILIPINOS and Asians in general must start thinking like real Asians and not just use their “coconuts.”
That is, being “brown outside but white inside” as the old saying went. We should all use our innate wisdom informed by our region’s history and national histories. There is a crucial question today facing ASEAN and Asia, the crisis situation in Myanmar and how ASEAN should deal with it.
From my perspective looking at the Myanmar situation today I realize that a strategic question is raised: How will ASEAN be ten years from now if the Myanmar crisis is decided one way or another, that is in favor of the Junta or goes to the opposition forces behind Aung San Suu Kyi. To discern this one must go deep into the political composition and direction of these two forces in contention.
Myanmar was under British colonial rule for 124 years until 1948. Like many Southeast Asian nations Myanmar also has a long history of fighting for independence.
It finally won under the nationalist leader, General Aung San, who was then assassinated by a British backed and supplied rival Burmese faction. Myanmar has never found peace since then, under constant destabilization by the British.
Like the Philippines sitting strategically as gateway of the Pacific into the China Sea before Western warships can reach the soft underbelly of Asia mainland, Myanmar sits at a strategic geographical crossroad between the two great Asian powers, India and China, while the Malacca Straits is under threat of Western interdiction, a key alternative supply and trade routes for China.
China is successfully establishing an alternative trade and supply route with the Kyaukphyu Port at Sittwe, Rakhine State in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State (keep in mind the Western promoted Arakan Army insurgency at one time) that will link into the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative complete with oil pipelines, railways, power and telecommunications linkages.
Myanmar and the Philippines are both at intersections of major global forces in contention for strategic interests.
There is constant pressure from Western powers to destabilize Asia and the Asean region to disrupt its economic rise with China in this, the ‘Asian Century.’
ASEAN must make the right decisions at this point about the Myanmar crisis and aim for ensuring ASEAN unity, harmony and centrality.
The Myanmar opposition led by Western educated Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the national hero Gen. Aung San, and formerly married to a Briton.
A genuinely popular figure, she is clearly a competent and undoubtedly sincere politician. She defied the West that awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 when in 2018 she refused to tag as “genocide” Myanmar’s unity government’s punitive action against Rohingya rebels.
Aung San Suu Kyi has one political infirmity – her Western-backed political cadres. Epitomizing Western destabilization of Myanmar is multi-billionaire George Soros’ “philanthropic” funding and political organizing for “democracy” in Myanmar.
It reminded me of the Philippines’ “icon of democracy” Corazon C. Aquino who reinvigorated Western neo-colonialism, plutocracy and insurgencies in the Philippines.
The Myanmar Junta cracked down on operators of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and even seized the bank accounts of the foundation.
The opposition has openly called for a civil war against the Junta hoping to exacerbate the destabilization of Myanmar, but which is unlikely to prosper with the Junta’s firm control of the situation. Meanwhile, the diplomatic struggle begins.
At this stage the role of ASEAN becomes very crucial. The regional grouping is hard put to keep a united front that it must achieve if the welfare of ASEAN and Asia is to be protected.
There will be pressure from the West to weaken ASEAN unity under the circumstances, but without a doubt, ASEAN must decide in favor of Myanmar’s stability, support the continuous rise of the Asian Century and against Western belligerence.
The ambiguous invitation of a lower-level Myanmar official to attend the recent ASEAN meet was not helpful to ASEAN unity and effort to boost its centrality.
The Junta after all is still the ruling political power in Myanmar today and most likely in the future, failing to respect it fully and work with it would not redound to the good of the people of Myanmar.
(Samahan si Ka Mentong Laurel at mga panauhin sa “Power Thinks” tuwing Miyerkules @6pm Live Global Talk News Radio (GTNR) sa Facebook at sa Talk News TV sa You Tube; at tuwing Linggo 8 to 10am sa RP1 738khz AM sa radyo.)
