NCGUB’s shopping or political tour in Indonesia?

by Heng Khur
Tuesday, 04 August 2009 16:36

Mizzima News - The NCGUB, the Burmese government in exile, will hold a meeting on 12 and 13 August, with a handful of Burmese activists in Indonesia and come up with a proposal to the military junta for national reconciliation.

The trip sounds interesting for the ones who are about to attend. It is interesting because some of its members will be on tour and even do some shopping in Indonesia. And it becomes more interesting because Dr. Thaung Tun added that it is a process which would continue in US and EU.

Pathetically, in almost 20 years, NCGUB has come up with the only plan to hold a political meeting (sic) with handpicked Burmese Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

Whatever transpires at the meeting in Indonesia is not a way out of the political imbroglio in Burma but a political show in an effort to dig out more funds from donors.

Sure enough, there will be a beautiful and well-written statement after the meeting as; release Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners immediately, hold talks with the opposition groups, include concerned parties in the forthcoming 2010 elections (with the quotation from the UN General Secretary). The statement will be nothing new but old calls and boring to say the least.

Instead people want to hear what and how the NCGUB and other Burmese organizations will proceed in order to solve the problems -- Burmese Army‘s oppression on the people, armed conflicts, IDPs, refugees, migrants, drugs and political prisoners.

Releasing statements, raising awareness is just part of the activities but it will not solve the current problems unless the NCGUB and other Burmese organizations look at the ground situation. People, who used to participate in these meetings, know well that most of these organizations are not functioning but a political brand in order to ask for funds.

As Dr- Thaung Tun said, it is a process, which would entail further trips to EU and US. I wonder how much money they are going to spend on this political show trips. Instead of having such meetings, why not take that fund and give it to the needy people in the IDP camps along the Thai border.

In addition to that, the NCGUB and other CBOs rarely look at the problems that people are facing on the ground.

Therefore, to have a better say in the bargaining with the Burmese regime, why does not the NCGUB invite ceasefire and non-ceasefire groups on its side in the meeting to solve the Burmese problem. The meeting should not aim at releasing statements or a shopping trip. NCGUB must come to the point, how will it work together in order fulfill the people’s expectation.