WASHINGTON — A top US lawmaker on Tuesday said the Burmese government needs to show the world it is serious about reforms by taking concrete actions, including an immediate end to ongoing human rights abuses.
“Secretary Clinton’s trip turned the global spotlight on Burma, but the onus for change ultimately lies in the hands of those who hold the levers of power—the ruling government of Burma and its military,” Congressman Joseph Crowley told The Irrawaddy in an interview.
“If there is going to be genuine change, one thing is clear: It must start with concrete action that includes an immediate end to ongoing human rights abuses,” said Crowley, who has been leading congressional efforts in imposing sanctions on Burma.
Crowley, who spearheaded the passage and subsequent renewal of the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act, expressed skepticism over the steps being taken by the Burmese government, given the bitter experience of the past in this regard.
“What I have heard and read from news reports, these are welcome changes. But I have seen similar changes before, and after a while they revert back to repression. So I think my observation of the junta and its cruel relationship to its own people has a long way to go before I would be convinced that the present Burmese government is in fact on a different path and on a path towards democracy and respect for the human rights of all its people, especially of the ethnic minorities,” the New York lawmaker said.
“I think it is premature to be talking about lifting sanctions and I do not believe it’s been suggested by the Secretary of State. The regime and the military are repressive. It is engaged in rape, murder, ethnic cleaning and crimes against humanity in Burma. They have a long way to go before they will convince me that they are in fact on a path towards democracy,” said Crowley.
Crowley, who had authored legislation to award Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008 and was a leading voice calling for her release, was the first member of Congress to speak with the popular Burmese leader on the phone after her release last year.
“The recent release of prisoners, relaxing of the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing her to participate in the elections is all new. How long it will last, unless there is a permanent change in the structure of the government—that is not yet clear,” he said.
However, he said he supported Clinton’s recent trip to Burma—the first by a secretary of state in more than five decades.
“I support the Secretary’s trip. I have tremendous respect for Secretary Clinton. I know she is capable of delivering a very strong message to all the fronts involved in Burma. She is able to carry a very long and powerful stick and, at the same time, show that carrots are available. That’s important,” he said.
“This visit could be one off or this could be potentially the beginning of a really serious transformation within this junta government—the civilian government that still needs to be seen,” he said.
Referring to the recent statement by the US president, Barack Obama, that there has been a “flicker of progress” in Burma, Crowley said: “I think the US is there to blow a little oxygen onto it and add some kindling to it, to demonstrate the willingness of the United States to move Burma towards democracy.”
Crowley has also been a strong voice against the military regime and its brutal practice of committing crimes against humanity and led the call for the US to call for a UN Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese regime.
“I think that the motivation is [to do this] for the people of Burma—55 million people who have been shunned by the rest of the world, [in a country] shut by its own government, who have been brutalized by their own government—I think that is the motivation. In fact, that is the best foot of American diplomacy—to free the people from the bondage of [their] own government,” Crowley said.
“We [Congressmen] all hope that this is really the beginning of change for Burma, particularly for its people. But I would have to say there is a lot of skepticism. I am not convinced yet and I think there’s probably a likelihood that the majority of us are concerned about it right now,” said the top US lawmaker.
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