a look through the lens of colonial history
Myanmar's current crisis is rooted in the instability and violence caused post-independence. In order for us to understand the complexity of the issues, we have to first recognise its complex origins. It is time we looked at 'What Happened in Myanmar', so that we can better understand #whatshappeninginMyanmar
Myanmar - a nation in transition for 73 years.
"Myanmar is a nation in transition, seeking to break with a past marred by authoritarian rule, economic mismanagement, and multiple conflicts that persist today, driven by social exclusion and predatory natural resource extraction."
-World Bank
When describing Myanmar, what the World Bank conveniently forgets is how the nation came to be punctured with internal conflicts (leading to the longest civil war in history) and ‘predatory natural resource extraction’.
Myanmar’s recent history is one of military rule, coup d’etats and the stifling of dissent. The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw), a direct outcome of the British colonial legacy, have attracted severe criticism for violence against ethnic minorities. But in order for us to understand the complexity of the issues, we have to first recognise its complex origins.
During Myanmar’s colonial exploits, the British set up structures and policies that fatally compromised the cohesion of the then Burmese state leading to an inevitable national fragmentation. Tactics such as the ‘divide and rule’ policy were employed across several other nation states, with the infamous Partition of India being the archetype.
The colonial legacy played a significant role in shaping civil-military relations in post-colonial Myanmar.The colonial military nursery
The colonial military primarily recruited from 'martial races'* as they advanced their imperial pursuits. Most of the recruits for the British military in Burma were from ethnic minority communities, and almost entirely excluded the Burman majority, aggravating the ethno-racial divisions within the state.
*a term created by the British administrators to describe those they believed who possessed physical and mental qualities that made them excellent soldiers/warriors. The complex and diverse populations of the Indian subcontinent were too intense for the British, so they classified the ethnic groups into martial and non-martial races. ‘In general, the martial races were shown to be contemptuous of the strict observance of caste rituals and amenable to military life’ (Barua, 1995), with loyalty to their British oppressors.
Post independence, Burma inherited the heightened ethnic tensions that British imperialism had exploited. The national armed forces, or the Tatmadaw (majority Bamars) assumed the role of the defenders of the new state’s unity and sovereignty and a symbol of Burmese nationalism. The ethnic militarisation, facilitated by the martial race policy, and based on prejudice, brought forth questions of loyalty of the ethnic minorities to the newly formed national army.
However, peace was short lived, as the country rapidly descended into chaos. The emergence of numerous ethnically framed (Karen, Kachin, etc.) armed insurgencies challenged the Tatmadaw’s military dominance leading to the longest civil war (73 years) to date.
From the outset, the nation was consumed by war and violence owing to the unwelcome colonial military legacy.
The British imperial nursery sowed seeds of instability,
irrigating pre-existing tensions
that soon turned into chronic coups and insurgencies.What needs to be done now
This post isn’t about being accusatory or creating guilt, but about being responsible and taking action. As time and silence have lulled imperial populations into a state of amnesia, it is crucial to remind ourselves of the context in which these narratives have taken place. In order to address this incredibly complex issue, we first need to acknowledge the colonial involvement in the destabilisation of the nation-state.
After we have remembered the history, we then make amends.
As an international community, we need to raise awareness and start conversations of the ongoing violence that has consumed Myanmar for too long
Pressurise your political leaders to answer to their calls for help
Move beyond the trending hashtag and engage in the movements that the people from Myanmar have started
A lack of attention to colonial history in the media/news doesn't prove that there isn't a link; it proves that Britain still isn't ready to acknowledge its colonial history. Acknowledging it would imply an obligation to take action and responsibility. Our governments aren't prepared to take action, so until they do, we must.
*Cover art by @sketchbook.kev
**Article written by G
Sources:
Barua, P. (1995). Inventing Race: The British and India's Martial Races. The Historian, 58(1), 107-116.
Chaturvedi, M. (2012). (Rep.). Myanmar's Ethnic Divide. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
Kawanami, H. (2009). Introduction: Power, Authority, and Contested Hegemony in Burmese-Myanmar Religion. Asian Ethnology, 68(2), 177-183.
Kipgen, N. (2021): The 2020 Myanmar Election and the 2021 Coup: Deepening Democracy or Widening Division? Asian Affairs, DOI:10.1080/03068374.2021.1886429
Sadan, M. (2013). Ethnic armies and ethnic conflict in Burma: Reconsidering the history of colonial militarization in the Kachin region of Burma during the Second World War. South East Asia Research, 21(4), 601-626.
The Crisis Group. (2021). Identity Crisis: Ethnicity and Conflict in Myanmar. Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-east-asia/myanmar/312-identity-crisis-ethnicity-and-conflict-myanmar.
Коментарі