Myanmar language media outlets are a disgrace to pro-human rights civilizations. In 20 years time, historians of Myanmar will look back and find that Myanmar language media was categorically complicit in the genocide of Rohingya - with its signature lack of intellectual substance as well as moral cowardice on this defining issue of the country. We the Burmese cannot call ourselves Buddhist pro-human rights modern liberal or humanistic, when we fail intellectually and morally when a genocide is committed in our name. I feel tickled by the complete absence of interest shown by the Burmese language media outlets - pro-human rights, pro-democracy, anti-military, sitting-on-fence, crony-owned or -funded (most are anyway) - in the upcoming conference to discuss for the first time THE genocide of Myanmars Rohingya by successive military regimes, including Thein Seins, with the help of violent racist extremists among Rakhines. I feel tickled because I KNOW none would be prepared to suffer the popular backlash from the in-country racists with their Nazi-like genocidal hatred towards the Rohingya who have been wrongly and deliberately portrayed as illegal Bengali by the governments at the highest level - General Ne Win, General Saw Maung, General Khin Nyunt, General Than Shwe, now the puppet President Thein Sein. Not just the pro-human rights dissidents and their opposition (if the word still has any meaning in the Burmese context), Myanmar language media by and large has failed what Zarganar called the litmus test of a democratizing transitional society: the genocide of Rohingya who are our people. Just like Myanmar officials whom the media may and do criticize Myanmar media are also fork-tongued: one type of news for the Burmese readership, and another type for English readerships. I have long stopped reading the news in Myanmar language except to pick up signals of multiple racisms, and other regressive (backward ideological trends).
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 04:56:24 +0000