GRAPE VINE

Why don't we support Gen.Maung Aye



The writer is a member of Newsgroups, soc.culture.burma.

Before Japanese invasion in Burma there were three ideas among Thakhin leaders. Some Thakhins wanted to fight against colonialist British by Japanese help. Some wanted to fight against upcoming fascist Japanese by Alliance help including British. Some wanted to fight against both colonialist British and fascist Japanese.

Most Thakhins looked up Japanese and expected that Japanese would be nice to treat Burma when they arrive because Japanese are also Asians.Most Thakhins were leftists and they all were pro-Soviet Union for Europe war theatre. Soviet Union and Nazi-Germany were friends and made the contract not to invade each other, at first during the war.

Burmese Thakhins supported Japanese because Japan was alliance of Germany which was friend of Soviet Union in Europe before German's invasion to Soviet Union.

At first, the idea "to fight against upcoming fascist Japanese by Alliance help including British" of the Thakhin faction led by Thakhin Soe was totally rejected by majority of Thakhins because all Thakhins hated British. But later, that idea was proved as correct idea and all Burmese patriotic resisted the Japanese invasion by British(Alliance) help.

That lesson of history is coming again in Burma now.

The pro-China Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt is locked in a power struggle with the nationalistic military chief, Gen.Maung Aye, to succeed the ailing Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

Last week, as Indian Army Chief Gen. V.P. Malik was in Rangoon, Lt.Gen. Khin Nyunt was paying a surprise visit to Pakistan—to Gen. Malik’s embarrassment.

Supposing Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt is Japanese and Gen. Maung Aye is British in current Burma. In history, our predecessors supported British to drive out Japanese. Then they drove British out again.

When you look at Gen. Maung Aye, his hands were cleaner than Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt who tortured and killed people since BSPP time as military intelligence chief. Of course, Gen. Maung Aye also killed people, not in the jails like Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt but in the battles as a soldier.

It was a bit fair if you compare with Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt’s killings. During 8888 crisis when Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt’s MI people created all odds things as Counter-Strike Campaign, Gen. Maung Aye was in Shan State as a commander of a military command. Until SPDC forming, Gen.Maung Aye was cleaner than any other SLORC leaders because he was the most junior commander among other military commands’ commanders. You can say he had no chance to be blood-tainted person because of situation. Anyway he was cleaner than Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt before he became No.(2) man of SPDC.

Now he is also brutal person of SPDC and responsible person of all current political unrest in Burma. But he needs alliance to beat Lt.Gen. Khin Nyunt and the whole Military Intelligence Corp which is thorn in his throat.

We all know that he is hard-liner and never wants to negotiate with NLD.

But we need to indicate him that the only alliance for him is NLD to beat Military Intelligence group. We need to push him to negotiate with NLD to drive out the power of Military Intelligence that controls the whole country’s civil power.

It’s time to say “Long Live Gen. Maung Aye” to become the alliance of NLD to dump Gen. Khin Nyunt’s group.

So Why Don’t We Support Gen. Maung Aye temporarily. Later, NLD will award him based on his performance for beating pro-Chinese Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt who is the most dangerous man for the Democracy of Burma.

Can we all change our tactics? Yes, it may be difficult to accept that idea. But our predecessors dumped fascist Japanese who were the most dangerous for our Independence, by the help of colonialist British. Don’t forget about it. Think more and more. We need to think many ways.