Myanmar could use S. African reconciliation model: Activists

International sanctions and domestic pressure should be combined to push for democracy reform that will lead to reconciliation in the military-ruled Myanmar, activists at an international forum said here Monday.

With upcoming elections later this year, Myanmar is expected to fail in bringing about a political change, the forum heard. Activists worldwide have agreed that punishment and internal pressure must be maximized for Myanmar’s reform to work, while at the same time looking into reconciliation between the ruling and opposition groups.

Khin Maung Win, the Oslo-based deputy director executive of the Democratic Voice of Burma, said political reform in Myanmar had not been working in the absence of synergy between those preferring engagement and those looking for more sanctions.

“I’d say we have to engage Myanmar and at the same time make sanctions an option.”

Khin was speaking on a sidelines of the “World Movement for Democracy”, an international symposium that runs from April 11-14, and hosts 600 activists from 110 countries around the world.

Recognizing the need for domestic factors as the main force for reform within Myanmar, Khin also said it had so far had little success.

“We have had several uprisings since the elections in 1990, but none was successful because the military were so powerful. Realistically speaking, you cannot hope the common people will rally again and expect it will eventually work without help from the outside,” he said.

The US and other western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Myanmar, while Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries have opposed the sanctions, saying the economic isolation will not help to bring about change.

Rama Naidu, the executive director of the Durban-based Democracy Development Program, said the approach applied in South Africa could be adopted for Myanmar to woo the military rulers to hand over power.

South Africa survived the aftermath of the apartheid system because its truth and reconciliation commission managed to find a resolution that worked both for the oppressors and victims, he said. The commission did not bring perpetrators in the apartheid system to justice.

“We have to compromise when we come seeking a reconciliation. Each country has their own culture and accepted ways of how to deal with this ... We can use our local standard in this case. The international standard of bringing perpetrators to justice may not be the best [way to approach our circumstances].”

Carl Gershman, the president of the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy, said reconciliation should limit vengeance and retribution toward past perpetrators because this would destabilize the democratic process.

“We have to make a compromise and find a middle ground that can work for everybody. And I think the military junta will open more room for a change if they know they have some future after they are no longer in power,” he said.

Source :http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/04/13/myanmar-could-use-s-african-reconciliation-model-activists.html