Will the new Myanmar include the Rohingya?

Will the new Myanmar include the Rohingya?
The Rohingya remain central tothe next swing ofMyanmar’s political pendulum. But their role in the country's future is anything but clear.
Narrated
3 min read
Pseuodym

Nina Wolfe

28 May, 2021
Police stand guard on a barricaded road outside the Yangon City Hall (R) and Sule Pagoda (C) in Yangon on 16 February, 2021. [Getty]

is a place I once called home. Myrecentreturn to Londonhasbeensteeped in sadness, helplessness,and a feeling that I may never revisit a place wherethepathof democracy wasbeingpaved.

I am very fortunate to have travelled to MyanmarinFebruaryto visit mypartner,who currently resides in Yangon. Iexperiencedan incredibly beautiful, rich,and complex society that was being dragged into sudden political turmoil. I watched in horror from our downtown balcony as the brutal military junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing,threw the countrywith a farcical coup that was to send shock waves throughout Myanmar and the world.

In the days following theFebruarycoup, people, from all walks of life,protesting in fear ofthe return ofthenefarious military dictatorship thathadengulfed vast areas of the country not so long ago. The nonsensical military upheavalechoed the traumaof theTatmadaw’s26-year military rule,and theterror, violence,and submissionthat wasused tocrushdissent and freedom of speech.

As a result ofthemilitary takeover, ɲܳ, yet again, along witha number ofprominent NLD party members, while many others were forced into exile. What struck me during those early days was the unconditional adoration for “The Lady” among the protesting crowds; SuuKyyi’sface adorning the streets of Yangon on placards, t-shirts,and demonstrators’faces.While notallprotestersadoptedsuchadulation,this sense of “idolisation”was unsettling, and my mind wandered tothe Rohingya and their plight.

"I watched in horror from our downtown balcony as the brutal military junta,threw the countryback into darkness"

Etched in my consciousness was theTatmadaw’shorrifyingethnic and religious persecutionof 2017,that sawRohingya villagesinRakhine State, thousands murdered,and hundreds of thousands forced to flee toneighbouringBangladesh.

The silence of Aung San SuuKyyiand a sector of the Burmese general publicwas deafening.Whilewestern mediahad beenquick tocanoniseandidoliseSuuKyyi, they failed torecognisethe fact she was just a political survivorwhoreally did not have much choice but to go along with military orders.

Nearly four months since the onset of the coup, the issue of the Rohingya people isaneversalient one,and the role they play in the future of Myanmar is very much undetermined.

Sincethe overthrow of the democratically elected NationalDefenceLeague and ASSK,boycotts and strikesby theCivil DisobedienceMovementhavespread across the country. The legislative body(CRPH)-madeup of mainly deposed NLD MPs-has been formed in exile,as hasthe National Unity Government (NUG),which aimsto consolidate power among the various ethnic groups that make up Myanmar’s rich, yet bruised social fabric.

Thousands gather in Sule Square protesting the announcement of a military coup, 2 February, 2021. [TNA]
Thousands gather in Sule Square protesting the announcement of a military coup, 2 February, 2021. [Nina Wolfe / TNA]

As these groupsviefor international support to overthrow the military junta by announcing a host of concessions and promoting federal democracy, it begs the question - if they do indeed regain power from the military regime, will theyhonourthese promises and take a more progressive and inclusive approach? Will they absorbRohingya grievances and secure a place for them at the decision-making table?

Inrecent months,encouraging statementsfrom the NUG andCRPHhave emerged,expressing a sense of remorse for not speaking outagainstthe atrocious crimes committed againstthe Muslim community and the Rohingya peopleduring the ethnic cleansingof2017, butalsofor the decades ofdiscriminationcommunityleaders sufferedprior.

Regretful sentiments havealsomaterialisedonsocial media,wherewe have witnessed a surge in Burmese individuals joining together to express shame in their passivityregardingthesebrutal militarypractices.

"Will they absorbRohingya grievances and secure a place for them at the decision-making table?"

Similarly, the Tatmadaw have reachedout to Muslim leaders in Rakhine state,offering an olive branch by donating to mosques and promising the return of Rohingya to their villagesreturn for supportand a gesture to show to the international community theircredibilityand legitimacy.

The Rohingya remain central tothe next swing ofMyanmar’s political pendulum. One wondersif theNUG and CRPH’s efforts to includethe Rohingya issue into their policies are a genuineforcefor good,orsimplypart of a political calculusto drum upsupport from the international community.

Theidealistin mehopesand praysthat the former option will prevail,and the Rohingya people will be issued citizenship, dignity,and repatriation for the suffering they continue to endure.

This author is writing under a pseudonym in order to protect their identity when visiting South-East Asia / Myanmar.

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@alaraby.co.uk

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of , its editorial board or staff.

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