Preaching the gospel to the devil
It is a pity that the words of the former UN Secretary General will have no effect at all on the hearts and minds of the military rulers in Myanmar. They are inured to all criticisms, censure and condemnation. But while we thank Mr Moon for his words, we are disappointed; we wish he was more straightforward and forthright in his remarks while exhorting the government of Myanmar to act honourably. We can understand that as the Secretary General one has to be very measured in one's remarks and be very politically correct. But now that he has no such constraints of that high office, he might have articulated the facts and spoken the truth to power.
It is regrettable that there are still some who carry the notion that platitudes and sermons will work with the government of Myanmar. Unfortunately, they are not in sync with reality. Here is a government that has ridden rough shod over international sentiments and indulged in a pre-planned pogrom of an ethnic minority. To ask them to act generously and compassionately is a waste of one's effort. Myanmar's actions in Northern Rakhine have drawn international censure but have had little effect on the rulers in Naypyidaw.
A political solution is what everybody wants because there is no other alternative. But is that what the Myanmar government wants? The International Criminal Court has taken cognisance of the case and approved to start an investigation into crimes committed against Rohingyas. And the ICC judges have expressed their apprehension that the killing of the Rohingyas might have been a part of the state's policy. That being the case, a political solution is far from the minds of the rulers in Myanmar. The only solution they are pursuing is the "final solution", i.e. total extermination of an ethnic group. The world leaders should be alive to this reality and rather than merely dispense homilies, act more decisively to prevent that from happening.
Comments