(Interview) – People should study the history of the Burmese independence struggle, says the son of Ba Win, one of the assassinated fallen martyrs. Prime Minister of the exile National Coalition Government of Union of Burma (NCGUB), Dr. Sein Win is the fifth of Ba Win’s siblings and a nephew of assassinated hero General Aung San. He was elected in the 1990 general election as a representative of the National Democracy Party. He became the prime minister of the NCGUB in December 1990 and now lives in Washington D.C. Mizzima reporter Ko Pauk interviewed Sein Win on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of Martyrs’ Day.
Question: Does your family plan to lay a wreath at the Marytrs’ Mausoleum in Rangoon?
Answer: I’m not sure. My mother has died and my elder brothers are old now. I think some of them will visit the mausoleum and lay a wreath there but it will not be like in the past, when our entire family visited there. I offered alms at a monastery this morning for the fallen martyrs.
Q: When was your last visit to the mausoleum?
A: I visited almost every year, but in 1989 they made some restrictions by ordering us to visit the mausoleum under their arrangement not by our own family plan. So I didn’t visit that year. At that time, the political parties wanted to visit by marching in procession. They didn’t allow this plan and ordered us to follow their plan. It made for a confrontation between them and us.
Q: What are your thoughts about Burma on this Memorial Day?
A: I was only three at that time. I cannot remember all these things. They are like a dream. My feelings are not that different from the people. I knew about the martyrs through books like other ordinary people. When I grew up, I saw the helter-skelter situation and the chaos in my country, the people suffering and the troubles.
Q: You’re proud of your father’s role in the birth of the country?
A: I am proud of all of them. There were many more people who struggled and sacrificed for the independence of the country at that time. Soldiers and army officers were among those patriotic people. They shared all the happiness and woes of the people in this struggle. I am proud of them for this. I am very proud of the independence struggle of our country.
Q: How much did Burma lose with the deaths of these martyrs?
A: They lost their lives while they were working for the good of the country. They were planning to rebuild our country after regaining independence. They were discussing what would be our country’s goals and its future, what to do for the welfare of the people. They were assassinated at this precious time and at this very important moment. You can compare the state of our country now with other neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. We must study and sum up the political, economic and social situations of these countries. It’s not enough to pay homage to the fallen martyrs only on this day. We must study and sum up how we can follow the goals, programmes and democratic aspirations they adopted for the country.
Q: What is your definition of a martyr?
A: The first point I’d like to talk about is General Aung San. Since his adulthood, he devoted all his life to the independence struggle and sacrificed his life for the cause of this struggle. He lived modestly and simply. His motto was independence is first, independence is second, and independence is third. He achieved many things, for instance, the Panglong Agreement. So this is a martyr. After reaching the Panglong Agreement with the ethnic people, our independence struggle was very close to a final victory. I feel proud when I see the nine martyrs are never forgotten by the people who pay homage to them to this day.
Q: Have you noticed any change in attitude of the successive regimes on Martyrs’ Day?
A: Yes, I noticed it. As a family member of a martyr, we offered alms to the monks every year on this day. We laid wreaths at the mausoleum. We met our friends there too. We know that the situation has changed. In 1962, General Ne Win visited the mausoleum in person and laid a wreath. In that year, many students were shot to death by the military on July 7. They made a grand exhibition about General Aung San that year in honour of him to win back the people’s support and to console the people. Who came and laid wreatsh this year, in 2011? Who in the government came this year? They downgraded the protocol of this occasion year by year. It’s nonsense.
By doing so, they tarnish our country’s image and dignity. Our people pay respect to whoever deserves it. They tried to destroy all these traditions. Some of the new generation do not know about these things. Who worked for independence? Who played what role? They don’t know about these things. The current regime had nothing to do with the independence struggle. They didn’t play any role in the struggle. They know about the martyrs well. Now they are trying to destroy all this history. The path they are taking is wrong. They are oppressing and destroying the people’s lives and property rather than protecting and defending them. They are persecuting the people. The war is raging in ethnic areas. They are persecuting the common people who have nothing to do with this civil war. The path they are taking is the opposite of the path laid down by General Aung San.
I’d like to urge the new generation and everyone else to study the history of the Burmese independence struggle and the history of our country. They need to understand the story of our country.
