Marie Claire Magazine (May 1996, Singapore Edition)
Aung San Suu Kyi is very much her father's daughter. Despite being confined in a dilapidated house and separated from her husband and sons for six years, the daughter of General Aung San, who was responsible for liberating Burma from colonialism, refuses to budge from her political position and her determination to bring democracy back to her country. She is fearless and the title of her book Freedom From Fear is an eloquent testimony to that. Recently freed from house arrest, the youthful-looking 50-year-old is now allowed to give speeches over the weekend to those who will listen to her. Michele Manceaux talks to her about her newfound "freedom" and her plans for the future.
Michele Manceaux: You were locked up in this house for six years. Now that you are no longer under house arrest, what has changed for you? Aung San Suu Kyi: I'm so busy now I don't get enough time to read books which is what I miss most of all.
MM: Is that the only change?
ASSK: I still feel I am always watched. I don't go out very often although I am allowed to.
MM: During your house arrest, did you feel that you were leading an empty existence?
ASSK: No, because I used to lead a very disciplined life. Each day was very full. I could arrange my time-table so that I could read, listen to the radio, sew, and exercise. It was a very regulated existence.
MM: Did you manage to do all you wanted?
ASSK: I could not achieve all the things I wanted to do.
MM: What, for example?
ASSK: Learn French!
MM: What was the most painful time for you during these six years?
ASSK: The most painful part had nothing to do with me really, but with others. I knew that a lot of my colleagues were in prison. Then, of course, there were my own children who had to cope without a mother, but they lived in England, so I was not worried for them.
MM: Your sons were 10 and 12 when you were arrested. Did you see them at all during those six years?
ASSK: I did not see them for about two-and-a half years, after which they were allowed to come and see me.
MM: Were you forbidden from writing to them?
ASSK: No, I was not forbidden. At first we could communicate but a lot of the letters were censored by the authorities. They also emphasized that they were doing me a great favour by allowing me to write to my children. But I said I would not accept any favours from them and stopped writing. Then, two-and-a half years later, they asked my husband and sons to visit me.
MM: I am surprised you are allowed to receive foreign journalists. How do you explain it?
ASSK: It is my new status. I am now free.
MM: You were given the option of returning to England. Do you consider that you made a sacrifice by not going back to your sons?
ASSK: It was my own choice, and I don't look upon it as sacrifice because other people have made greater sacrifices. My colleagues and their family are at greater risk.
MM: Did your husband accept your choice without protest?
ASSK: We don't interfere with each other's beliefs and priorities. For example, my husband is an orientalist and a tibetologist. I have never tried to stop him from pursuing his interest, although sometimes it was quite exhausting following him around the Himalayas. I did what I could to help him and I think he adopts the same attitude.
MM: Do you think political struggles are more difficult for a woman than a man?
ASSK: I don't think so. Of course, they attack me no the grounds of my gender, but even if I were a man they would attack me on other grounds, so I think it would all come to the same to the same thing.
MM: Do you think a woman has to choose between her public and private life?
ASSK: It's the same choice for everybody, but I think tradition has always dictated that men are more free to do public work. Women are expected to do both but it's not so in my case because I live apart from my family, so in a sense, I don't have a private life.
MM: Would you say you are more concerned about society than individual?
ASSK: No, I have a great concern for the individual, but as it happens, my family is not here, so the individuals whom I am concerned about are my colleagues but as friends. In a way, my public and private life are the same.
MM: Are you given total freedom to communicate with members of the NLD(National League for Democracy)?
ASSK: I see them all the time. We have endless meetings.
MM: Have these militants ever been arrested?
ASSK: Some people who belonged to a dance group were sent to jail because they took part in a ceremony. But people are not arrested just because they come and see me. There is no law that says they can't come to see me.
MM: Would you be ready to be the head of the State?
ASSK: That is not up to me to decide. We are a democracy, so it is up to the people to decide.
MM: Would you be ready to spend the rest of your life as it is now, without any change?
ASSK: Life is always changing. I am ready to accept life as it comes.
MM: Are you a Buddhist?
ASSK: Absolutely.
MM: Don't you think that religions in general and this one in particular encourages people to be resigned to their fate?
ASSK: No, I don't think so. No religion encourages anybody to accept injustice.
MM: Are you anxious about your own security?
ASSK: No, because there is no point in being anxious.
MM: Is that a realistic stand to take?
ASSK: If you want to be realistic, you should think of J.F. Kennedy or Yitzhak Rabin who had the protection of the best security forces in the world. Yet, they were assassinated. So I am being realistic in not worrying; in fact, it would be unrealistic of me to think that I could accomplish anything by worrying. There is no way of guaranteeing any politician or anybody in this world against attack.
MM: You wrote a book entitled Freedom from Fear. Are you writing another one?
ASSK: No, I don't have the time at the moment.
MM: Do you get any help from foreign countries?
ASSK: Lots of foreign organisations support our movement but we do not have and official representative abroad.
MM: How do you view the opening of your country to foreign investors?
ASSK: Well, it has not been done in a way that will benefit the economy in the long run. The investors themselves will not benefit much from it. People want to come and invest because they think, "Well, this is a new place", but it is not really an open market economy. It is only open to some people. Burma is said to have become much richer in the last six years. What has happened is that a few people have got very rich. We've never had people in Burma who could spend $5 on a cup of tea. But at the same time, we've never have farmers who could not afford two meals a day. There is a small elite and a growing gap between the rich and the poor. In theory, the opening up of the economy should lead to the development of a strong middle-class, which should provide the foundation for a strong democracy. But in fact, the middle-class is getting smaller. Burma has declined in the past six years. The level of education has dropped. The situation in the hospitals is not much better. According to a United Nations report, Burma is ranked fourth among countries which spend more on defence than on health and education. The Burmese government spends 222 times more on defence that on health and education.
MM: What is your hope for Burma in the future?
ASSK: That we will have a proper political system that ensures the rule of law and that puts an emphasis on health and education. At one time, Burma was the fastest developing country in Southeast Asia. Newly independent countries used to look up to us. I am very confident that with the right political system, we shall once again be able to achieve that position.
MM: Do you think that democracy will ever be achieved?
ASSK: I think the will of the people to achieve a system that guarantees their rights is getting stronger and stronger. Also, the rest of the world is on our side.
MM: How do you explain you liberation from house arrest?
ASSK: I don't know the reasons behind it but it was certainly not out of affection for me.
MM: A French magazine has published a portrait of you and entitled the article A Light in the Night. Would you agree that you are a light in the night?
ASSK: I do not like to be thought of as anything more than ordinary person.
MM: How do you fell about being considered beautiful?
ASSK: A compliment as always pleasant to receive. But I don't place that much importance on it. I am very interested in promoting Burmese textiles and I would like to preserve the Burmese costume because I think it is really becoming. Girls here are starting to wear Western clothes. I am not against it because young people like to be modern. But I do want to preserve Burmese clothes such as the lungi (a ling shawl that is wrapped around the hips), because I really think it suits us best.
MM: How do you fell about Burma being renamed Myanmar?
ASSK: No one should be allowed to change the name of country without referring to the will of the people. They say that Myanmar refers to all the Burmese ethnic groups, whereas Burma only refers to the Burmese ethnic group, but that is not true. Myanmar is a literary word for Burma and it refers only to the Burmese ethnic group. Of course, I prefer the word Burma.
MM: Do you have any contact with the different ethnic groups?
ASSK: Within the NLD, there are many people from different ethnic groups. We are not just a Burmese ethnic party. We want a number of seats for members of the ethnic groups who, in general, still have some reservations about the goodwill of the Burmese, because the Burmese are the majority group. It is our duty to win their confidence and we cannot do that unless there is a situation where they can express their grievances openly and without fear. The only way you can resolve differences is by talking about them. If we want our country to be united and stable, we need people to express their dissatisfaction.
MM: The government wants to open Burma to tourism this year. How do you feel about it?
ASSK: Well, the foreign companies who build the hotels will benefit from it, but the people will only get tips from the tourists. Our country is beautiful, and I hope foreigners will come. But this year may be a little too son.
MM: Your sons are now 18 and 22. Do they intend to come back to Burma?
ASSK: I am sure they do. They may come to work, but definitely not to take part in politics.
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