The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and The Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U

The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and The Crisis Of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The author is the grandson of the famous U Thant who was the Secretary General of the UN for 10 years during which he had to bring thaw in the cold war and he had ensure not to take sides during the war that US was waging in Vietnam.

While he has been born, brought up and educated in the west, he gone back to Burma to try and restore peace and bring prosperity to his country. He has had the privilege to be closely associated with the President and government of Burma closely giving them advice and helping them execute programs for the improvement of the country.

In the book the author has highlighted the various seams in the Burmese society arising due to the different races that occupy the different parts of the country and the animosity between them. He has almost clearly stated the reason for the Rohingya problem that has been plaguing the country in the recent past. Added to the variations across the various races in the country the immigrants from India who went and settled there during the British rule help fuel the xenophobia that is to be seen in almost all countries today.

The book once again highlights the fact that we as humans will use even the semblance of a fault line to bring out the differences between ourselves and the others and ensure that our side of the fault line is prosperous even if it comes at the cost of those on the other side. This fundamentally is the problem that Burma is facing today.

The military junta that ruled the country for decades exploited the resource of the country, specially the jade and teak and made money for itself and its friends. In collusion with the Chinese they practically looted the country of its natural resources and they have almost denuded it. The common citizens suffered unendurable trials and tribulations not just because of the government's negligence but also due to nature. The cyclone Nargis of 2008 caused massive destruction and destroyed the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Burmese. The government sat back and did not allow foreign NGOs with genuine interest in helping out the distressed as they did not want any outside people coming. They were more interested in building and developing the new capital city of Naypyitaw.

Aung San Suu Kyi, ironically the daughter of the first army general of Burma was their opposition and they kept her under house arrest for long years. People of Burma and of the world had high hopes from her. She was being heralded as the Nelson Mandela of Burma. Unfortunately Aung San Suu Kyi, who was expected to be a messiah has not lived up the to expectations. While her powers are limited due to the constitution established by the earlier military junta, she has not proved her mettle by standing up those from the old junta. She has not lived up to the image of a leader the way Nelson Mandela stood up and ensured equality among all.

The author implies that while there is hope for Burma, now that it is out of the clutches of the military rule, it still has a long way to go before it can become equitable and prosperous for all its citizen.

A very nice book to read to understand the recent history of the enigmatic country.

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