THE NATION
Thursday, May 22, 2008
OPINION
SEIN WIN
“ As a citizen of Burma, and an elected representative, I want to stress that pursuing diplomatic options to convince the intransigent regime will be akin to waiting for people to die. Time is something that the people of Burma do not have. Please help Burma now. ”
This is the crucial juncture when my country, Burma, is facing a national calamity of a nature unprecedented in its modern history. The whole country and the people of Burma overseas are mourning for the millions affected by Cyclone Nargis when the storm hit the densely populated Irrawaddy Delta region.
The cyclone killed tens of thousands and ravaged homes, farms, and infrastructures leaving a lasting imprint of destruction which will take months, if not years, for the millions of survivors to recover from. Even though the death toll cannot be confirmed with certainty yet, the estimation so far is that over 100,000 people are dead or missing and nearly 1.5-2.5 million people will suffer from the effects of the cyclone.
Even under such circumstances, the Burmese military junta has done very little to help the people. Its main focus since the cyclone had been to hold a national referendum so that a constitution it had written to legitimize military rule would be passed. At the same time it is also preventing the international community from entering the country fearing that the rigid control that the military has imposed on the country would be loosened by the presence of international relief experts.
What is even worse is that reports are trickling out about international aid being appropriated by the authorities. The junta’s go-it-alone policy has worsened the situation for the cyclone victims. An international aid organization working inside Burma estimated that 30,000 children are starving and under-fives living in the Irrawaddy Delta, who were already "acutely malnourished" when the cyclone hit Burma, might be dying from lack of food. The five regions struck by the cyclone are predominantly agricultural areas where farming families who produce 65 percent of the country's rice live. International agencies have repeatedly warned that time is running out fast and Burma will be subjected to the risk of famine if the agriculture system is not restored soon.
We understand that ASEAN countries have now formed a regional task force to distribute foreign aid and that medical teams from ASEAN will be working in Burma. What I want to emphasize here is that formation of that task force and the admittance of ASEAN medical teams should not be used as an excuse for the Burmese generals to delay providing assistance or prevent international experts from joining the relief efforts.
Lest people have forgotten, let me remind them that when the tsunami struck Southeast Asia, it was international experts that ASEAN nations had to invite in to provide relief and rehabilitation operations. In other words, ASEAN alone cannot help the cyclone victims and Burma needs tinternational relief officials with the expertise to cope with the challenges the country faces.
In our view, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Burma is already too late. The relief and rehabilitation programs should start now without more delay and we support any move which will make that happen regardless of what the Burmese generals think. This is because lives are at stake now and in the foreseeable future. It would not be a natural disaster but would be due to the xenophobic generals who will be responsible for killing their own people. The situation is totally unacceptable and it must not be allowed to continue.
We are, therefore, calling on all donor nations to do everything they can to start a massive relief operation immediately. The leading political party - the National League for Democracy - and elected representatives in Burma who are witnessing the calamity have also called for immediate relief for the cyclone victims.
As a citizen of Burma, and an elected representative, I want to stress that pursuing diplomatic options to convince the intransigent regime will be akin to waiting for people to die. Time is something that the people of Burma do not have. Please help Burma now.
Sein Win is MP-Elect (Paukkaung Constituency) and Prime Minister, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.
Source: Dr Sann Aung reposted
