EDITORIAL - Don’t be too sorry for Suu Kyi

Many of us have heard the news by now; the Myanmar government has been overthrown by a military junta which is citing massive election fraud during last year’s polls.

Many of its leaders have been arrested and jailed. One of them is former --and we suppose again-- political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, who became famous for her struggle against the junta that ruled Myanmar for decades, an achievement that eventually won her the Nobel Peace Prize.

While we should be a little concerned as this may have some impact on stability in the region we should not lose too much sleep over it, as this is an internal affair that has minimal impact on the Philippines.

We also shouldn’t feel too sorry for Suu Kyi.

Once admired for her courage in standing up to the military junta, she is no longer that person the world knew her to be.

She has long retired from the fight for democracy, even aligning herself with the very junta that jailed her to stay in power. But let’s give her the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say she may have had not much choice in the matter, given her circumstances. Let’s say that that was as far as the junta would allow her.

There was something else she did that was unforgivable in the eyes of the world; she looked the other way when people from her own country needed help.

Before the world court in Hague, Suu Kyi defended the military junta from accusations of persecution and murder of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar.

She infamously referred to the unfortunate incident as “an internal armed conflict started by coordinated and comprehensive armed attacks ... to which Myanmar’s defense services responded. Tragically, this armed conflict led to the exodus of several hundred thousand Muslims.”

Apparently, her fight for human rights and recognition was only limited to a certain demographic, a certain group of people, and not all who call --or used to call-- Myanmar their home.

Her actions then sparked outrage, with many calling to rescind her Nobel Prize. However, it seemed the powers that be were unwilling to tarnish the memory of her reputation and took no action against her, instead going after other world leaders accused of similar negligence.

So don’t be too sorry for Suu Kyi. Considering the choices she has made these past few years, we can say she is now lying in a bed of her own making.