Protecting the rights of Muslim minority a test for Myanmar
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The Rohingya people of South Asian descent are facing anuncertain future, living with a troubled past in Myanmar.
A recent outbreak of sectarian violence has left the Muslim community in a precarious situation in this predominantly Buddhist state — with the military-backed government failing torecognise the Rohingya as one of the country’s 130 ethnic minorities.
Sadly, the Rohingyas tale is one of being isolated from their Muslim brothers in India as the Bengali-speaking people were cast aside during the independence upheavals after the Second World War. Because of their isolation, they have long been viewed with suspicion over lingering separatist sentiments within Myanmar.
In recent years, the once-isolated generals there could treat theirnational minorities with contempt — out of sight from international condemnation and out of mind from the glare of the world’s media. But all of that has changed, with the plight of the Rohingya coming under the glare of aid and rights organisations. Indeed, the United Nations has branded the Rohingya are “virtually friendless”, with few willing to step forward to offer assistance and protection.
Now, with the Myanmar government embarking on a course of political, social and economic reform, the fate of the Rohingya represents a true test for Yangon administration.
While it is fine to offer political reforms and recognise the right of political association, a lithmus test for evolving Myanmar society will be by judging how the government steps in to protect its vulnerable, religious minorities, its oppressed communities from sectarian strife and bigotry. And for Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the democracy movement, taking the concerns of the Rohingya on board needs to be a priority. It is good to preach the cause of democracy, but that democracy must include rights and protections for all, treating each and every Myanmar citizen as equal, irrespective of their religious beliefs or ethnic origins.
So far, some 30 suspects have been arrested for acts of violence against the Rohingya, but much more needs to be done.
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