Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has used her first statement to her country's parliament to call for laws to protect the rights of minorities. For a woman whose international status is as high, if not arguably higher, than that of South Africa's Nelson Mandela, her choice of focus is as welcome as it is significant, because of the long-standing violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Ms. Suu Kyi has been critical of the past policy of central government repression against all Burma's minorities, some of whom, such as the Kachin, have been in armed rebellion for decades. It has been argued that her condemnation of a widespread campaign of terror by Buddhists against the Muslim Rohingya in their homeland of Rakhine in the west of the country, was at best half-hearted. Indeed, there will be disappointment that during her first speech to fellow legislators, she did not mention the Rohingya by name. Nevertheless, the fact that she recognized that all Burmese must be accorded the same rights and status within a new democratic state, has to be seen as a solid advance and should encourage the Burmese Muslim community. It should also be recognized that Ms. Suu Kyi's own political position is not as strong as her many overseas fans would care to believe. Not only is she having to negotiate the military back to their barracks, but the core of her support comes from members of the Buddhist community. Many of these share her disgust at the murderous rioting that broke out in June, after allegations, which now seem to have been spurious, that a Buddhist girl had been raped by a Muslim. Even had such a crime been committed, it should have been left for the authorities to deal with in the appropriate manner. Communal action on such a barbaric scale should never have been tolerated. Unfortunately, it appears that none of the ringleaders of the bloodletting, in which scores of Muslims were killed and thousands forced to flee their homes, have been apprehended. Indeed, the only arrests that have taken place are of Muslims. Amnesty International has accused the police of torturing and abusing many of those taken into custody. Of course, there is a very long history of inter-communal rivalry and tension between Burmese Muslims and their Buddhist neighbors. The two million Rohingya have generally been treated as second class citizens, denied proper education and confined to menial laboring jobs. Nothing is therefore going to change overnight. Indeed, however enlightened the government that Ms. Suu Kyi eventually puts together, laws alone will not guarantee any of Burma's minorities their rightful place in society. Generations of mistrust and enmity will take a very long time to dissipate. In the meantime, the charismatic opposition leader has the key task of convincing the generals to give up power completely and, once and for all, march their soldiers out of politics and back to their barracks. When that is achieved, she can turn her attention to Burma's beleaguered minorities.
