Separating the ‘Head’ and the ‘Body’

Seven hours and 25 minutes.  That’s how long  Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the executive committee of the National League for Democracy (NLD) have  met together in the past six years.

Following the attack on her convey in Depayin, Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest from 2003 to 2009. She met separately with selected executive committee members only four times during that period.

Members of the National League for Democracy sell the portraits of their leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her father Gen Aung San. (Photo: AP)

On April 27, 2004, she met with all the members of the executive committee, including Tin Oo, in her lakeside home in Rangoon.  The topic of the meeting, which lasted three and one-half hours, was whether the NLD would attend the National Convention to write a new constitution.

On Nov. 9, 2007, Suu Kyi met for two and a half hours with four NLD leaders: Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary Lwin, Nyunt Wai and spokesperson Nyan Win.  The meeting took place in a government guesthouse in Rangoon, and the discussion centered on conditions for talks between Suu Kyi and junta chief Than Shwe.  In the meeting, Suu Kyi, following a series of meetings with the junta’s liaison officer, Aung Kyi, said that the Burmese people must prepare themselves for the worst in their struggle for political change and that her talks  with Aung Kyi were mostly on trivial matters.

On Feb. 2, 2009, Suu Kyi was allowed to meet with the NLD executive committee for about 15 minutes at a government guesthouse prior to her meeting with the UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy that the junta strategy was to separate the NLD “head” from the “body,” but the opposition group carries on as best as it can.

“For any organization, it is the best to discuss policy matters with all the leaders,” he said.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years. She was sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest on Aug. 11 after being found guilty of breaking the terms of her detention by sheltering an American intruder, John Yettaw, who swam to her lakeside compound.

Observer said Suu Kyi tried to arrange a meeting with NLD party leaders Win Tin and Tin Oo by calling them as witnesses in her most recent trial.

The three main NLD leaders, Suu Kyi, Win Tin (a former editor and adviser to Suu Kyi who served 19 years in prison), and Tin Oo, a former commander in chief of the armed forces of the Union of Myanmar, have not met together since 1989.

Some observers believe that if the three core NLD leaders could meet together regularly, a more concrete NLD policy could be developed.

Recently, Suu Kyi sent a letter to junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe asking for permission to meet with senior NLD members in order to negotiate an agreement for an end to economic sanctions and the NLD has made requests to meet with her.

“The junta believes that the NLD executive committee acting alone can not move forward. But if the executive committee meets with Suu Kyi, it could move forward. Suu Kyi’s influence is very large within the NLD. Than Shwe doesn’t want to give permission for Suu Kyi and the party leaders to meet, because he is a hard liner,” said Win Tin.

Ohn Kyaing, a senior NLD member and a veteran journalist, last met with Suu Kyi on July 9, 1989.

“It is not good for the country’s democratization process and for the NLD that Suu kyi is not allowed to meet with the party’s executive committee. Without keeping in touch, work can not be done,” said Ohn Kyaing.

Chan Tun, a veteran politician and diplomat, said, “If the NLD executive members met with Suu Kyi, their actions would be more effective and powerful. Without Suu Kyi, there can be disagreements between followers”