Uphold
democracy
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June 12, 2003 The
Alliance of Progressive Labor and the Free Burma Coalition vehemently
condemn the Burmese military forces’ brutal dispersal of the motorcade
held by the supporters and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD)
headed by its dissident The
ruthless attack clearly shows that a military rule much less a
dictatorship would never uphold democracy and rule of civil law. In fact,
NLD won a landslide victory in the last Burma national elections in 1990
but the military junta prevented them from holding power that should have
fully established democracy in Burma since 1962 when the military started
ruling the country. We
identify with the Burmese people’s upheavals and miseries since the
Filipino people once lived under a military dictatorship of Ferdinand
Marcos. After more than 20 years, we found ourselves further entrenched
into extreme poverty as tens of thousands were killed and tortured by the
military to curtail civil and political rights and subvert the protest
movement. Eventually, in 1986, the Filipino people deposed Marcos through
a bloodless revolution. This cornerstone in our history proves that the
people would not forever live under such abhorrent situation and would
continuously long for freedom, rule of law, and a democratic system of
government where the people could exercise their rights without fear and
ruthless assault from the powers that be. And although some sectors in the
ruling elite want to bring back the dark years of Martial Law through the
terror bills now filed in congress, the Filipino people will not allow the
bills to be promulgated into law.
Certainly,
the attack against the human and political rights of the Burmese people is
also an attack on our rights and to all freedom loving and pro-democracy
movements in other parts of the world especially in the poor and
underdeveloped countries like the Philippines. The
Filipino people share the struggles of the people of Burma in its call for
an end to the military junta led by U Tin Thun and uphold democracy as the
pathway to peace and progress. The APL also supports the position of the
Initiatives for International Dialogue urging the Philippine government,
particularly, Foreign Affairs secretary Blas Ople to demand from the Burma
government the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the NLD
during the one week ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh
starting today June 12. |
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