27 March 2016By Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
Rohingya Muslims are considered to be the most persecuted minority in the
world. This fact is recognized by the United Nations and by almost all human
rights organizations. Several prominent international human rights activists
have noted that Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to massive ethnic
cleansing in Myanmar (formerly Burma), a predominantly Buddhist country in
Southeast Asia.
The military government in Myanmar has deprived these hapless people of their
citizenship after considering them to be illegal residents who migrated from
Bangladesh irrespective of the fact that they are an ethnic community who have
been living in the northwestern Rakhine state since the 8th century CE.
Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to persecution and injustice; they have
been killed and driven out of their homes. Their houses and mosques have been
torched and their properties seized. Those who escaped torture managed to run
away to neighboring countries. Buddhist extremists are perpetrating crimes
against these hapless people with the clandestine support and blessing of the
military government which ruled the country for more than half a century. The
military junta still wields its influence in the upper echelons of the state
under a constitution which it has framed. However, the military government
held general elections in November during which Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of
the opposition party – the National League for Democracy – won a sweeping
victory and is now set to take over as the head of a democratic government in
the country.
Suu Kyi was put under house arrest for more than a decade by the military
junta and this helped her to garner global sympathy and support. She was
honored with the Nobel Peace Prize and the growing global pressure in favor of
her forced the military government to end her house arrest. However, the
government imposed restrictions in order to prevent her from taking over power
in the country. These include the condition that those citizens who married
foreigners or have children from foreign spouses are disqualified from
assuming power as the head of the country's government. Suu Kyi was married to
a Briton and the couple had two children. Moreover, the army took control of
25 percent of parliamentary seats as well as some key cabinet portfolios.
It was evident that Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, while serving as opposition
leader, avoided reacting to the atrocities being perpetrated against Rohingya
Muslims. She also declined to comment on the criticism leveled against the
military government by prominent rights activists from various parts of the
world. It is unfortunate that Suu Kyi has yet to speak out against the plight
of the Rohingya. The continuous persecution of these hapless people has not
prompted her to break her long silence on the issue.
She did not even respond to criticism leveled against her by some Nobel
laureates. They accused her of sacrificing fundamental principles and human
values for the sake of political gains with an eye to gaining the votes of the
Buddhist majority. However, some of them defended her by drawing attention to
her limitations in the prevailing situation in the country where the majority
community is hostile to Rohingyas.
Even after the landslide victory of Suu Kyi's party in the parliamentary
elections, the military still controls the state's affairs. They consider
themselves to be the saviors of the constitution. Any political reform in the
country is possible only by making the necessary amendments to the
constitution and this can be done only with the blessing of the military
leadership. The military commander recently indicated that major
constitutional reforms are on the anvil. This means that the military would
continue wielding control over the government in future as well. Any attempt
to change the status quo without the consent of the military might lead to the
toppling of the government and the return of military rule to the country as
in the case of several other countries in the Third World. It will not be easy
to restore the usurped rights of Rohingya Muslims. The opposition leader Suu
Kyi, who won the election, does not seem to be willing or able to stop the
atrocities and crimes being perpetrated against these people. Hence, I believe
that there is a need for further international pressure, including tough
sanctions even against the democratic government to be formed by Suu Kyi this
month.
International and regional bodies such as the United Nations, Organization of
Islamic Cooperation and ASEAN must take the initiative, including convening
international conferences, with the objective of ending the persecution of
Rohingya Muslims. Similarly, it is the moral and humanitarian responsibility
of neighboring states, especially Muslim states, to stand by these people who
in the words of South African bishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu are
facing slow genocide.
Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a
former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be
reached at algham@hotmail.com
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