Posted: 10/01/2012 8:56 am
Aung San Suu Kyi’s 17-day visit to the United States of America, which began on September 17, has been received with warmth and enthusiasm. Her years of perseverance and dedication have deservingly earned such recognition.
The thought of Suu Kyi receiving a standing ovation by members of the U.S. Congress at the Capitol Rotunda and a meeting with a U.S. President at the White House seemed unrealistic until recent years.
As Burma progresses with its democratic reforms, expectations await Suu Kyi. In Burma’s democracy movement history, two remarkable statements from Suu Kyi’s family continue to linger in the minds of the Burmese people, especially ethnic minorities.
“If Burma receives one kyat, you will also get one kyat” was made a year before the country’s independence in 1948. Aung San, founder of the Burmese Independence Army and father of Suu Kyi, made this historic statement in an attempt to convince other nationalities to join the Union of Burma.
The objective of the statement was to guarantee equal rights for all nationalities in post-independent Burma, regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds.
That assurance convinced the Chin, the Kachin and the Shan leaders to join the interim government led by Aung San, which led to the formation of the Union of Burma on February 12, 1947. Until today, February 12 has been observed as the country’s Union Day.
