Voices of youths of Spring Revolution: recommendations on reforming the National Unity Government
Speakers - Aung Phone Maw (University of Yangon Student’s Union), Myo Thura (General Strike Committee Coordinator), Chaw Su San (Women Alliance Burma),
Moderator - Nang Ei Thi
Thought Process Program Season (2)/Episode (2)
Q: Moderator
Ma Chaw Su San, it has been over four years since the revolution started. As a youth, can you share with us your experiences for the past four years and how you feel about the situation at the moment.
A: Chaw Su San
I have had a chance to participate in the revolution and I have also witnessed how the general public has participated in anti-dictatorship movements. I have encountered many different situations and experienced many different emotions. In Sagaing Region, I have seen the daily struggle of local people that has resulted from the act of terror committed by the military council, and it really makes me feel distressed. Looking back the years, as a young woman, I feel like I have lost my future. I have to remind myself everyday. In the past, I had ambitions about what I wanted to do when I reached a certain age but now I don’t think about the future anymore. I just worry about the present and how I can survive each passing day and how I can fight the military dictatorship. We can’t catch a break under current conditions and we are barely surviving. It is very difficult emotionally for me as a young woman to forget about my future, dreams and everything. Although I am a young woman, I have to scarify my youth life and live like an older person which is obviously not as fun.
Q: Moderator
Ko Aung Hpone Maw, you have been taking part in different people movements since before 2021 coup and you were also arrested soon after the coup. Then, you were released and get involved in the anti-dictatorship movements again. As a young man, you might want to live and travel freely, but you remain dedicated to the cause of the revolution. Can you share with us what your beliefs and principles are and how you keep them alive and how you keep going despites adversities.
A: Aung Phone Maw
05:49-06:18 - Personally, I think the reason why I continue to take part in the revolutionary movement to this day is because I think we have an ethical responsibility to keep fighting until the end. We discussed about abolishment of the 2008 constitution since the beginning of the Spring Revolution among members of student unions and leaders. We also mobilized and encouraged students and general public to boycott the military’s slavery education system. The people played their part and fulfilled their responsibilities well. They actually set aside their personal interests and took significant risks to participate in the movement. So, for student union members and personally for me, I feel like we need to fulfill our ethical responsibility to keep fighting until we reach our goal. This is why I continue to participate in the revolution. This is just how I feel personally.
Currently, I think our main goal is to make sure the revolution succeeds. If a successful revolution means overthrowing the military junta, then I think what we need to do first is to achieve military victories on the ground against junta troops. We need to be able to capture their strongholds and major cities such as Naypyitaw, Yangon and Mandalay which are currently under their control. I think that’s the most important mission we need to complete first.
If, however, a successful revolution means more than just overthrowing the junta and if it means building a new, stable and peaceful society under a federal democracy system, then we might need to have a much more extensive discussion about that. But, if we look back, we can see different processes such as the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) or other platforms or efforts where we discuss about these matters. However, these mechanisms have not produced tangible results at all, rather, I think they are reversing. Seeing these processes backtracking, I think we should just focus on achieving military victories first instead of trying to do something that seems impossible at the moment.
Q: Moderator
08:59-09:24 - I would like to ask some questions to Ko Myo Thura as well. Currently, the military is enforcing the mandatory conscription law. How are young people dealing with this crisis, and can you also share with us your experience as an active member of a strike committee?
A: Myo Thura
09:24-10:05 – After the conscription law was approved, first of all, we felt insecure mentally. The adoption of the law was followed swiftly by an enforcement process and it has threatened our safety and posed significant risks to all of us. Overall, I can say that this law has created more challenges for us and make the situation worse for strike committees.
Q: Moderator
I want to go back to Ma Chaw Su San. Currently, who or which organization do you think are leading or representing the Spring Revolution in Myanmar and why? Currently, the National Unity Government (NUG) maintains its role as the central government of the whole country, but do you think the NUG can represent all revolutionary forces and the whole country as a union? Can you share with us your thought on this?
A: Chaw Su San
I think it’s clear that the peoples themselves are the leaders of the Spring Revolution. I don’t think any individual, political party or actor are leading the revolution. I don’t think any heroic entity is leading it. The people themselves are leading the revolution which is also why we often refer to it as a people’s revolution. In both military and political fronts, we can see, students, youths and people from all walks of life participating in the revolution. In Sagaing Region, people still participate in daily public demonstrations. If we also look at the Civil Disobediences Movement (CDM), we can see that it is still supported by the people and still going strong. This is why I see the people themselves as leaders of the revolution. The people formed a government because they needed one, then they guided the government and provided them with necessary supports. The people play a crucial role in establishing this government and they are leading the way for the government.
To answer the question about whether the NUG can represent the whole country, I think we need to clarify about what we mean by representing. To be able to represent a certain region or a country we need to listen to voices of the local people and act accordingly. We need to listen to them and fulfill their wishes. If we don’t listen to the people, we cannot say we represent them. In this sense, I don’t believe the NUG can fully represent the whole country. As I mentioned, if voices of the people are not taken into consideration, I don’t consider them being represented.
Q: Moderator
Ko Aung Hpone Maw, if the NUG cannot represent the whole country or the whole revolutionary movement, and if they cannot implement necessary reform processes, should they just adapt and operate like one of the revolutionary organizations rather than a government of everyone? What do you think?
A: Aung Phone Maw
I think, currently as things stand, the NUG continues to maintain its role as the government of the whole country, but everyone knows whether they are the union government or an organization that can represent the revolution as a whole or not? Everyone knows they are not. On the other hand, I think it’s not just the NUG that cannot represent the whole revolution. Given current context, I think, it is just impossible to have an organization that can represent the whole country or the whole revolutionary movement and it is also very unlikely for us to have one in a foreseeable future. I think, currently, it is unlikely for us to achieve these big ambitions such as building a comprehensive representative institution. So, we should, instead, focus on practical objectives and actions and make appropriate reforms to achieve them one at a time. For example, we should focus more on reforming the functions of NUG, including its armed forces so that they can operate more efficiently.
Q: Moderator
Ko Myo Thura, do you think it is possible to reform the NUG so that they can represent all revolutionary forces? And since the General Strike Committee (GSC) is part of the NUCC, can you give us some idea about the possibility of reforming the NUG this year and exactly what kind of reforms should they be implementing?
A: Myo Thura
The GSC have been talking consistently about reform since the very first NUCC assembly. About a year ago, we mentioned about it again during the last assembly and we faced significant oppositions from many people. We talked about NUG reform as well as the issue of the right to recall. We called for reform to make sure the NUG can operate more efficiently. We also mentioned about the need for reform in various other areas as well, not just related to the NUG. The GSC and its members raised these issues for the good of the revolution. In terms of if and how we can reform the NUG, I think we should revisit the idea behind why we established the NUG. CRPH has been around for four years already and both the NUG and NUCC is nearly four years old as well, and we all know it has been a bumpy ride with them and we are starting to see signs of deadlock. It has been a while this way, and even the NUCC members themselves have acknowledged this publicly to the media. We have been saying it all along that the NUCC is not moving forward, but we haven’t been able to figure out how to overcome this situation. In principle, the NUG is mandated by the NUCC, therefore they need to follow political commands of the NUCC. And this also means we would need to reform the NUCC first before we reform the NUG. However, the NUG does not accept it and everyone knows that. I raised this issue whenever I meet them. The media asked them about it as well, but they are reluctant to accept this. They tend to maintain that NUG is a separate entity established by Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and have been insisting that they are not necessarily affiliated with the NUCC. Besides, the NUG itself have to accept the reform plan. When it come to reforming the NUG, you can see in media interviews that those in the NUG usually think we are talking about dismissing them from duty. This is the story of NUG, NUCC and CRPH and the implication of reforming the NUG.
Q: Moderator
Going back to Ma Chaw Su San. People are saying that for the revolution to succeed, it is vital to create a coalition that can bring together and represent all revolutionary forces. But is it possible for such coalition to emerge given current context. What do you think?
A: Chaw Su San
I think we’d rather not create another coalition. There are already two, we will have three if we create another one. I am just joking. Yes, it’s a very good thing if we can create an alliance to achieve certain military or political objectives. But in Sagaing, it is hard to bring different actors to work together as an alliance. For example, when they plan for an operation to capture an outpost, they can’t make an agreement on how to divide seized weapons, so they end up not attacking the outpost. In reality, it is no so easy to form a coalition. When people talk about collaboration, whether it is a military alliance or a political coalition, it puzzles them as to why so many groups are scattered in different places and why they cannot just work together in unity. It is easier said then done because if we want to form coalitions, we need to build consensus and develop common military and political objectives. Every group have its own military and political ambitions when they were established and we need to find common grounds and develop common goals. We can then make agreements about what kind of approach we need to take or what kind of compromises we need to make based on those shared objectives. Then we can start building trust among different groups. I think we need to achieve all these things before we can build a successful alliance. We need to have all these measures in place first.
Q: Moderator
I would like to ask Ko Aung Hpone Maw. You have met and discussed with international organizations before. It has been over four years since the revolution started. Currently, we have many challenges, weaknesses and strengths. Do you think we can still expect much from international organizations? Can you share with us your thought on this?
A: Aung Phone Maw
I think we have reached a point where it is no longer realistic to expect effective supports from international organization for the revolution in Myanmar. I think we need to be clear and honest that the whole world has forgotten about us already. If we keep saying and acting like the world still care about us, clearly that would be a lie. I think, as a revolutionary movement, we have failed to secure the world’s attention. Ko Myo Thura also mentioned it that currently the NUG has many ministries. We have been suggesting that they should cut down the number of ministries so that they can focus on fewer things more effectively. They keep saying that they need all the ministries to maintain the characteristics of a legitimate government and functions properly as one. But I can tell you one thing. The entire ministry of foreign affairs is no longer necessary. I think it is enough to have three to five representatives for international relation. I think it doesn’t really make sense anymore to keep opening new MoFA offices in different countries, especially given the current global political landscape. In my opinion, they don’t have much of a role.
Q: Moderator
I would like to direct this last question to everyone. Currently, there is almost no participation of youths in political leadership role although young people have been the driving force in this revolution. Young people are also scarifying their lives in the frontline. If we look at protest committees in urban areas, they are youths as well. Despites all these, young people cannot seem to find a role in political leadership. What do you want to say about it? I would like to request Ma Chaw Su San to answer first.
A: Chaw Su San
Youths have been restricted and sidelined on the ground that they lack necessary experience despite having the courage and determination. In order to increase youth participation, we need to create opportunities to ensure their inclusion and cooperation. For example, we can see that the NUG assigned young people for the positions of deputy ministers or permanent secretaries, but it’s just to tick the box so that they can show and claim that they have a culture and a practice of giving space to young people. Personally, I think if they really want to increase youth participation, they should invite them and create opportunities for them and most importantly, they should not restrict them. If, for example, certain young people are good at something, they should be given the opportunities and mandates for that particular role regardless of their age. We need to remove all the restrictions and allow them to harness their agency and put it to the best use.
Q: Moderator
What about you, Ko Aung Hpone Maw? What do you make of the fact that there is a lack of youth participation in political leadership?
A: Aung Phone Maw
I was reminded by what Ma Chaw Su San said that actually two young people currently occupy deputy minister roles in the NUG. It has been a while we don’t see them or hear anything from them and I almost forgot that they exist. If they are sincere and have goodwill, I think they can see what is happening and can speak for us. If they don’t, then we have to figure it ourselves. Anywhere in the revolution that we look at, whether it is a frontline in the warzones or a protest in major cities, we can see that it is all young people. This is also why we have always claimed that the Spring Revolution is a revolution of Gen Z. They were leading the way and the whole country supported them all along since the very beginning when they protested peacefully before taking up arms. Yet, we see no youths in leadership role. What I want to say is that does it even make any sense that the role of youths vanishes when it comes to leadership?
Q: Moderator
What about you, Ko Myo Thura? What do you think of the lack of youth participation in leadership roles.
A: Myo Thura
I think as long as people still have the mindset that politics belongs to an exclusive class of people with superior abilities, everyone, not just young people, will be excluded even when they are competent. Although we don’t see youth participation in state/national roles, we can see a lot of young people leading the way to bring about change at the grassroot level. In education sector, we work with different groups and actors operating on the grounds and they are all young people as well. After 2021 coup, we see that our youth comrades from student unions are taking the lead. We can see similar situation in health sector as well especially at the grassroot level in Sagaing, Magway and Karenni areas. There are a lot of young people who are really doing the hard work on the ground. The reason why they cannot make their way to policy and decision-making levels is because I think we are struggling to replace the older generation. Older generation that involved in resistance movements in the past continue to take the leading role in current revolution and I think it’s part of the problem. Instead, they should hand over the responsibility to the new generation. Young people have been leading the way in current revolution and should assume responsibility in leadership role but we haven’t been able to do that. There have been blockages and like I said, I think as long as people think and belief that politics belongs to an exclusive class of people, we have a long way to go in terms of youth participation in leadership or decision-making roles or in politics in general. In reality, all the leaders in the government are close to 70 years old and this seems to happen in everywhere not just in our country or in our revolutionary movement. Two years ago, myself and Ko Aung Hpone Maw used to be part of a group, but we were significantly younger than other people in that group. We couldn’t talk much because they didn’t listen when we spoke. It was difficult for them to accept us in the group because we were 30 years or so younger than most people and when we had discussion, it’s a big challenge for them to listen to what we had say. So, I think young people need to be replacing the older generation, but it’s not happening at the moment.
