Obama’s Inauguration Attracts Big Interest in Burma

A Rangoon monk who watched the entire US presidential inauguration on TV summed up the feelings of countless Burmese when he said afterwards: “We’d like to see that happen in Burma, but we don’t know when.”

A young Rangoon journalist said: “We want to freely elect our leader like that, but that’s just a dream.”

Tuesday’s inauguration of Barak Obama as the 44th president of the US attracted huge interest in Burma.

The unnamed journalist said Obama’s path to the White House had been followed especially keenly by the Burmese media and intellectuals.

Burmese from all walks of life, however, watched the inauguration on satellite TV or tuned in to Burmese radios broadcasting from abroad.

Hla Oo, a resident of Mogok in upper Burma, said he believed Obama would offer more help to Burma’s democracy movement than did his predecessor, George W Bush.

A businessman in Bogalay in the Irrawaddy delta said he thought Obama was capable of solving all the problems he faced.

The popular desire for change that swept Obama to power was shared by the people of Burma, the businessman said.

“We want change,” he said. “Change from a system of military rule to democratic rule.

“We are fed up with the military regime. We have lived in fear for a long time. We also want change and liberation.”         

Most Burmese opposition leaders expect US support for the pro-democracy movement to remain strong under Obama’s administration.

Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday: “We believe that the US will keep up its support for human rights and the democracy movement in Burma.” 

Some dissidents, however, believe the Burmese people themselves remain the most potent force for political change.

Aye Tha Aung, chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, said he didn’t expect greater support from the US for political change in Burma.

“The most important forces for change in Burma are the Burmese people, opposition groups and ethnic leaders,” he said.

Ludu Sein Win, a veteran Burmese journalist in Rangoon, said nothing more than condemnation of the regime could be expected from the Obama administration.

“I want to urge the Burmese people: Don’t rely on Obama and [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon,” Sein Win said. “We must rely on ourselves.”

Burmese astrologers also watched the inauguration with interest—one of the best known, San Zarni Bo, predicted that the new US president could face assassination attempts in 2009, 2010 and 2013.  All attempts would fail, he said.