How does racism influence societal progression in Myanmar?

ABSTRACT - RACISM AND SOCIETAL PROGRESSION

Collectivism is something we have been grappling with since the dawn of civilization. Specifically, in the 20th century, the rapid urbanisation and globalisation has led to increasing global awareness of our beliefs, practices, and lifestyle. Unprecedented shifts in cultural paradigms evolve values that our communities accept, resulting in societal changes in our perception of the world and our involvement in it. Such is the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which speaks volumes about how groups of individuals are now fighting for a new form of societal norm and are moving forward from the past (1). Another event that garnered international attention was the military coup d'état and protests in Myanmar, which reflects long-standing fissures in Myanmar’s history. By being more aware than before about how these events affect various groups of individuals in the community, perhaps we can then better understand the societal construct of our own communities, allowing us to be more aware of how our culture influences the construction of our values.

MYANMAR’S POLITICAL SITUATION

RELIGION, ETHNICITY & IDENTITY

One’s religion and ethnicity plays a pivotal role in shaping their identity. From cultural practices, language, beliefs and values - these traits, worn by followers of their respective religions and ethnicities, indirectly influence (or in Myanmar, dictates) how they lead their lives. Whether they live a life of freedom, or discrimination; of acceptance or dismissal; whether they have to suffer under the judgement of the majority. These polarising differences in how individuals are treated due to identity, make up / comprise just one of the reasons Myanmar has become a place ridden with fear and tension.

In Myanmar, Buddhism is predominantly practiced over other religions, with 8.9% of Myanmese citizens identifying as Buddhist (8). Similarly, the country is led by the Burmese majority. This is in stark contrast to the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority who practice a variation of Sunni Islam, differing from Myanmar’s dominant group ethnically, linguistically, and religiously (2). The longstanding intolerance towards the minority groups in Myanmar only perpetuates discrimination against such groups within their society. This has created a culture where perceiving minority groups as less important than the majority is acceptable.

THE MILITARY’S INVOLVEMENT

Myanmar’s social landscape is inevitably and inextricably shaped by its political landscape. Myanmar’s military plays a huge role in its political scene considering that it took reign in 1962, shortly after the country gained independence in 1948. Spearheaded by General U Ne Win, the military seizure of power held a tight grip over Myanmar’s politics and refused to relent until two and a half decades later (2). During this period, many locals living under the military’s dictatorship were outraged and wanted a democratic rule instead.

Tensions rose amongst the locals who attempted a protest for pro democracy, however, their voices were promptly silenced by a military crackdown. Troops fired on peaceful protesters, while protesters retaliated, killing some policemen and officials (3). Yet, few could overcome the suppression by the military as they held the most authority within the country.

Even as Aung San Suu Kyi took the role of Myanmar’s de facto leader, the military still constituted 25% of all Parliament, which also controls the defence, home affairs and border affairs ministries (4). Their strong presence in politics grants them a great say in how the country is run, allowing one party's ideologies to heavily influence Myanmar.

With a population that is largely against minority groups like the Rohingya, policies made to ostracize / expel the Rohingya were met with little resistance, subsequently leading to the Rohingya Crisis.

MYANMAR’S ROHINGYA CRISIS

The Rohingya have gone through many forms of discrimination, through restrictions and policies concerning employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement (2). Acts of violence have also effectively forced the Rohingya out of Myanmar, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Currently, the Rohingya are still not acknowledged as citizens, with a large majority of them considered stateless.

Focusing more on the Rohingya crisis, we see how both military power, and tensions between different identities, have allowed for the demise of many Rohingyas. Beginning in August 2017, the military’s crackdown on this ethnic minority sent thousands of Rohingya Muslims to seek refuge in Bangladesh (5). These people were given the “choice” of risking their lives to cross the border, or accepting their death by submitting towards the authorities. This deemed “ethnic cleansing” has resulted in countless civilians killed and raped, all under the power of the military. Within the month that this violence broke out, an estimated 6700 Rohingya, over 700 of which were young children, were killed.

A UN-backed national census in 2014 was implemented to combat this deep-rooted discrimination by permitting the Muslim minority group to identify as Rohingya. However, after Buddhist nationalists threatened to boycott the census, the government decided Rohingya could only register if they identified as Bengali instead. From this, it can be observed that attempts made by the UN were ineffective as religious discrimination against the Rohingyans was not eradicated, and many still have to resort to fleeing the country due to avoid conflicts with the majority Buddhist groups.

RELATING TO SINGAPORE — THE THREAT OF DISUNITY

Although matters in Myanmar may seem far-off and unimaginable in Singapore, they exemplify what could happen to multicultural societies that do not fight to preserve social unity— violence, chaos, and painful oppression.

As Singaporean students, it is constantly reinforced to us that our country’s social fabric is fragile, and a privilege we enjoy today because generations before us struggled to forge unity after disparate communities turned against each other in the 1964 racial riots. The crises that we face as a country today, including COVID-19 and the threat of terrorism, have the propensity to become breeding grounds for xenophobia and distrust, and in turn reverse our history of careful and concerted effort to foster racial harmony. Thus, it is of utmost importance, and a priority of the government, that we remain seized on common goals and shared values as a nation, focusing on the principles which bind us together (6).

Additionally, it is more important than ever that we reduce structural inequality. Even if we personally believe in the preservation of racial harmony, this means little if the races are not represented adequately in the political and economic sphere. Such sentiments have been the driving force behind the government’s efforts to stave off identity politics, by reviewing policies premised on race relations such as housing quotas and self-help groups, and most significantly in recent years, introducing Article 19b into the Constitution (7).

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ethnicity and race is deeply rooted in Myanmar’s political system. In a country where the political system heavily governs the citizens’ way of life, it would seem that opinions of ethnicity and race by the political bodies will be part of the citizens’ social structure. When the country’s culture soon begins to become a reflection of this frame of mind; people begin adopting these societal values and adapting to the majority consensus. Now, let’s zoom into our country, our communities, our lives. What moral could we have adopted from our society, just like the minority of Myanmar? How does this influence the construction of society? How would these perceptions affect the sociocultural progression of our country? We are in no position to judge Myanmar’s situation, but we can always look at ourselves and learn to be aware of the minute things in our lives we often don’t think much of, providing more insight into Singapore’s sociocultural environment.

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