Levelling accusations at Myanmar of being in poverty and
hunger while failing to see the mote in one’s own eyes

All national races of Myanmar prefer to lead a peaceful and secure life. In line with their nature, national Buddhists with a gentle attitude want to live in peace doing meritorious deeds. Nevertheless, the national people were deprived of peace and security, due to evil consequences of the fact that Myanmar fell under the yoke of colonialists for over a century, and the breaking out of internal armed conflicts among national races for about half a century starting from the period just after regaining independence due to doubts, dogmatism, personal attachment, greed for power and individualism at the instigation of colonialists.

While in servitude, Myanmar suffered evil consequences of the two world wars owing to the rivalry among colonialist nations for acquiring colonies, world economic depression, underground and aboveground insurgency, and the wedge driven among national races by the colonialists with the intention of depriving the nation of independence. Myanmar people had to withstand all trials and tribulations during the period. Despite fertile soil, being rich in a large variety of natural resources and favourable climate, Myanmar could not enjoy high standard of living.

In colonial days, Myanmar workers were under the oppression and could have access to meagre sustenance, culminating in oilfield workers’ uprising. And there also took place Myanmar Era 1300 Uprising due to punitive taxation on land and crops including poll tax levied by the colonialists, very high rates of rent for a piece of cultivable land to be paid to landlords, high interest rates of Chatters, and purchase of crops with low prices by colonialists’ Steel Brothers Co and Bullinger Pool Co.

Myanmar people could lead a peaceful life with high standard of living but did not, because of the exploitation by Western colonialists. At that time, local peoples of the nations in Asia including Myanmar, Africa and Latin America under the subjugation of colonialists were terribly deprived of human rights, democracy and fundamental rights.

Today, the colonialists are applying various strategies to colonize would nations in a different way. The ex-colonialists are now resorting to new methods of neo-colonialism under the pretext of democracy, human rights, freedom and saviour to interfere in internal affairs and invade independent and sovereign nations that are on the track to democracy and are taking steps for their progress on their own.

After regaining independence in 1948, Myanmar was stepping up the national development drive to rise up from the ashes. Meanwhile, there arose internal armed strife and in consequence, Myanmar could not carry out reconstruction and development tasks effectively. So, it had to put its all-out efforts into the drive for safeguarding national solidarity with tenacity in order not to lose independence again and to ensure non-disintegration of the Union.

In 1988, Myanmar experienced the unrest in which internal and external destructive elements, leftist and rightist groups, and underground and aboveground elements caused havoc politically and economically. Factories and mills were robbed and ravaged. Many innocent people were accused of committing destructive acts and they met their tragic end under violent murders. Law and order was ineffective at all and anarchy reigned supreme across the nation. And all the transport links were out of order. The entire national people were in a state of alarm. The Union was hovering on the edge of collapse, and independence (sovereignty) was absolutely uncertain. Myanmar people still remembers that Western nations branded such destructive acts as democracy movements.

On 18 September 1988, a five-warship fleet including an aircraft carrier from a Western big nation entered the Myanmar’s territorial waters to interfere in the internal affairs. The Tatmadaw thus had to carry out a formidable task to stem the tide of destructive acts throughout the nation. It depicted a spectacular performance of national duty by the Tatmadaw with a fine tradition that it firmly stands by and safeguards and defends the nation and people in times of emergency.

The national force consisting of the Tatmadaw and the people managed to accomplish demanding tasks to ensure prevalence of law and order, secure and smooth transport, and food security of the people as well as to achieve community peace and stability, national reconciliation or national reconsolidation, for which previous successive governments could not make any headway. As altogether 17 national race armed groups have returned to the legal fold, the entire Union now is enjoying peace, thereby fulfilling the wish of the people.

The nation enjoyed annual economic growth by 1.9 per cent from 1989 to 1992 thanks to the plan for economic stability. It also achieved 8.5 per cent of annual economic development in the first four-year short-term plan (1992-1996) and in the five-year short-term plan (1996-2001).

If compared with 1988-89, per capita income of the people surged 2.3 times in 1991-92, seven times in 1995-96, 26.3 times in 2001-2002, and 86.2 times in March 2004-2005. According to the data collected in January 2005, Myanmar attracted investments of 7,760.8 million US dollars as a whole from 394 enterprises of 27 foreign nations.

Emphasis has been placed on extended cultivation of paddy as the staple food of Myanmar is rice. In the post-war period, Myanmar had total sown acreage of about 12 million and a population of about 16 million. In 1988, the population increased to 40 million, but the number of total sown acreage remained unchanged. Since 1988, the government has been taking steps for agricultural progress. From 1988 to date, it has built 179 dams that can benefit close to 2.5 million acres of farmland.

Now the crop cultivation capacity has touched 152.7 per cent, up from 119.6 per cent in 1988. The nation’s annual paddy output has increased to about 1,200 million baskets from 653 million baskets in 1988, much exceeding the amount of 810 million baskets that is sufficient for the current population of 54 million.

It can be witnessed that there have emerged a great number of infrastructures for economic development such as irrigation facilities, roads and bridges, and superstructures such as hospitals, health care centres, educational institutions, and housing estates. So, those with negative views should study the data on sustainable development of the Union through newspapers or the Internet, instead of guessing the situations of the nation from afar.

In relation to the road and bridge sector of the nation, now, there are 621 Union highways stretching 18,640 miles in total, compared with 461 Union highways stretching 13,635 miles. The government has so far constructed 208 bridges, each of which is 180 feet long or above. The number of airports and jetties is on the increase. Thanlwin Bridge (Mawlamyine), the longest one of its kind in the nation, and Yadanabon Bridge, the second bridge linking Mandalay and Sagaing have given witness to the nation’s ability to build large bridges, advanced engineering, and sufficient amount of cash for the expenses on such prudent construction projects.

Moreover, the entire Union has been enjoying sustainable progress in the education, health, hydro-electric power and other sectors. In that regard, the nation has been able to make self-reliant efforts to reach a better level with national strength and nationalistic fervour. However, external elements are creating various hindrances to national development endeavours instead of extending a helping hand.

Why are they anxious to hinder the nation’s development?

An independent and sovereign nation has the right to discharge development tasks at will in accordance with its background history, geographical features, national character, culture, traditions and wishes of the majority of the people. In fact, it is in conformity with the UN charter as well as the wishes of the people. It does not matter if other nations do not want to help it, but they should not disturb it. That is the principle to be followed by all civilized peoples in the world.

Supposing a nation is disrupting another nation variously, it indicates that the former has accumulated its greed, anger, ignorance, and conceit. And words and accusations of a nation that is deceitful and uses its superior force to invade weak nations are never correct and just.

If a nation opposes domination of the neo-colonialists, they will launch baseless accusations against it, saying that the nation is void of human rights, democracy and freedom, however much it is developed, prosperous and peaceful. If Myanmar accepted those accusations and remained silent in 1988, she cannot enjoy the present developments, instead will be under the banner of sham democracy, living as an indirectly-enslaved minion.

One of the slanderous accusations of the neo-colonialists is that Myanmar is in poverty and the people are facing hunger. Because they wish to see Myanmar people suffering from poverty and starvation, and disrupt peace, majority-supported democracy, basic human rights including the right to self-determination, and national interest. And if civil commotion is to erupt, resulting from poverty and starvation, that topples the ruling government, the neo-colonialists are going to install a puppet government under their domain. Myanmar and the world have already known the true nature and intention of the neo-colonialists that are manipulating from behind the scene to make political, military and economic gains out of a country.

A number of western countries are saying that Myanmar is the most impoverished country. National traitors are also singing the same tune. According to the 2001 UN human development report, the malnutrition rates of the nations are: Thailand 21 per cent; the Philippines 21 per cent; Sri Lanka 25 per cent; People’s Republic of China 11 per cent; Vietnam 22 per cent; India 21 per cent; Bangladesh 38 per cent; Myanmar seven per cent; Cambodia 33 per cent; Pakistan 20 per cent; Nepal 28 per cent; and Laos 29 per cent. Among the countries, Myanmar is the most well-fed nation. In Myanmar there goes a saying “Myanmar never has had any person dies of hunger” that was true in the past, is true at present and will be true in the future also.

As for Myanmar the serving of the national interest and the building of the national economy are always througah sincere way. She is not a kind of country that forcefully and unjustly loots others’ riches, wealth and markets. The strength of Myanmar lies within, and the economy based on nationalism is to develop herself and the people. Myanmar always adheres to her active and independent foreign policy that embraces peaceful co-existence, international friendship and cooperation and the task of discharging the international duties as a global nation according to UN principles for ensuring a peaceful and prosperous Earth.

Had Myanmar not lived under exploitation and rule of colonialists for over 100 years and faced multi-coloured insurgency for over 40 years due to internal discord and foreign interferences, she would have been a wealthy nation by now through sincere and fair means because of her rich resources. Myanmar today is enjoying peace, stability and progress as never before, despite the perpetration of internal and external saboteurs to push the country into poverty, starvation and total destruction. The West, especially the US, is claiming that Myanmar is in abject poverty and hunger, echoed by the traitors from inside and outside the country. I am not interested in criticizing others, but forgive me, I will have to present the real image of the nations that are slandering our nation.

According to the book “Understanding” published by the TED Conference, America’s total debt in 2000 stood at US $ 5,700,000 million. Now it stands at over US $ 6,000,000 million because of the soaring military expenditures. The US defence budget was at US $ 274,100 million. The US has a population of about 270 million, and one fifth or 15 million out of 70 million under-18 youths are living in poverty. On average, one in two US children are included in the poor families and the ratio for adults is 1.7:1. A grand total will come out if the population of the underprivileged of other age brackets are added.

A UNESCO report said that the US homeless population is between seven million and 10 million. The World Almanac reveals that the underprivileged population in the US is over 35.9 million — over 24 million whites and over nine million Blacks. Washington DC, the seat of the President, has the highest poverty rate in the US. About 17 per cent of its population are poor. Louisiana State and West Virginia State also stand the same poverty rate as Washington DC.

Than Aye translated the book “The Sorrow of Empire” compiled by Chalmers Johnson. The excerpts from the book say that the main reason behind youth enlistment in the army is none other than the wish to get promotion through the ranks in the army, and to escape from social discrimination or having the interest in military science; that the main reason for the African Americans to join the army is to free themselves from living in the poor quarters.

The book also states that there is no one entering the army out of patriotism or the spirit to serve the race; that in the interviews with young soldiers, a large number of them said that they joined the army because of the fewer number of civilian jobs, dwindling number of jobs for basic workers as US companies are moving to countries where labour is cheap and the legal action they were going to face in doing mean jobs. In the book, one young soldier said that if not the army, there was only jail for him to go; and another said had not I joined the army I would have been a waiter like my friends.

Even the US citizens are protesting the government for their discontentment to see the rising unemployment population, the huge deficit and debt, the fall in the value of the dollar, and the soaring expense for military ventures. America is the richest country in the world. But the real ones that get richer and richer are the companies and conglomerates. Meanwhile, the rich-poor divide is wide, with more and more people turning to crime and prostitution to earn their living.

The World Almanac 2005 states that crimes of various kinds numbering over 24 million occurred in the US in 2003; out of them 5586420 were human-related crimes, 5401720 were first degree crimes, 72240 were rape cases, 44650 were attempted rape cases, 377870 were robbery, 81950 were sexual assaults, 3997980 were bodily harmful crimes, 184700 were pick-pocketing, and 17539220 were property-related crimes.

On the other hand, Myanmar has a very low crime rate. Every tourist visiting Myanmar admires her culture, security, low crime rate, smiling faces, and prosperity. Indian media persons who visited Myanmar recently said that they had not seen a country as secure, peaceful and happier as Myanmar.

I wish all to see the progress, peace, rising living standard of Myanmar, and the endeavours to further develop them as they really are.

Author :  Maung Hmat Kyauk