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is a wonderful but daunting task that has fallen
on me to say a few words by way of opening this
Forum, the greatest concourse of women (joined
by a few brave men !) that has ever gathered
on our planet. I want to try and voice some
of the common hopes which firmly unite us in
all our splendid diversity.
But first I would like to explain
why I cannot be with you in person today. Last
month I was released from almost six years of
house arrest. The regaining of my freedom has
in turn imposed a duty on me to work for the
freedom of other women and men in my country
who have suffered far more - and who continue
to suffer far more - than I have. It is this
duty which prevents me from joining you today.
Even sending this message to you has not been
without difficulties. But the help of those
who believe in international cooperation and
freedom of expression has enabled me to overcome
the obstacles. They made it possible for me
to make a small contribution to this great celebration
of the struggle of women to mould their own
destiny and to influence the fate of our global
village.
The opening plenary of this
Forum will be presenting an overview of the
global forces affecting the quality of life
of the human community and the challenges they
pose for the global community as a whole and
for women in particular as we approach the twenty-first
century. However, with true womanly understanding
the Convener of this Forum suggested that among
these global forces and challenges, I might
wish to concentrate on those matters which occupy
all my waking thoughts these days : peace, security,
human rights and democracy. I would like to
discuss these issues particularly in the context
of the participation of women in politics and
governance.
For millenia women have dedicated
themselves almost exclusively to the task of
nurturing, protecting and caring for the young
and the old, striving for the conditions of
peace that favour life as a whole. To this can
be added the fact that, to the best of my knowledge,
no war was ever started by women. But it is
women and children who have always suffered
most in situations of conflict. Now that we
are gaining control of the primary historical
role imposed on us of sustaining life in the
context of the home and family, it is time to
apply in the arena of the world the wisdom and
experience thus gained in activities of peace
over so many thousands or years. The education
and empowerment of women throughout the world
cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant,
just and peaceful life for all.
If to these universal benefits
of the growing emancipation of women can be
added the "peace dividend" for human
development offered by the end of the Cold War,
spending less on the war toys of grown men and
much more on the urgent needs of humanity as
a whole, then truly the next millenia will be
an age the like to which has never been seen
in human history. But there still remain many
obstacles to be overcome before we can achieve
this goal. And not least among these obstacles
are intolerance and insecurity.
This year is the International
Year for Tolerance. The United Nations has recognised
that "tolerance, human rights, democracy
and peace are closely related. Without tolerance,
the foundations for democracy and respect for
human rights cannot be strengthened, and the
achievements of peace will remain elusive".
My own experience during the years I have been
engaged in the democracy movement in Burma has
convinced me of the need to emphasize the positive
aspects of tolerance. It is not enough simply
to "live and let live": genuine tolerance
requires an active effort to try to understand
the point of view of others; it implies broad-
mindedness and vision, as well as confidence
in one's own ability to meet new challenges
without resorting to intransigence or violence.
In societies where men are truly confident of
their own worth women are not merely "tolerated",
they are valued. Their opinions are listened
to with respect, they are given their rightful
place in shaping the society in which they live.
There is an outmoded Burmese
proverb still recited by men, who wish to deny
that women too can play a part in bringing necessary
change and progress to their society: "The
dawn rises only when the rooster crows".
But Burmese people today are well aware of the
scientific reason behind the rising of dawn
and the falling of dusk. And the intelligent
rooster surely realizes that it is because dawn
comes that it crows and not the other way round.
It crows to welcome the light that has come
to relieve the darkness of night. It is not
the prerogative of men alone to bring light
to this world: women with their capacity for
compassion and self-sacrifice, their courage
and perseverence, have done much to dissipate
the darkness of intolerance and hate, suffering
and despair.
Often the other side of the
coin of intolerance is insecurity. Insecure
people tend to be intolerant, and their intolerance
unleashes forces that threaten the security
of others. And where there is no security there
can be no lasting peace. In its Human Development
Report for last year, the UNDP noted that human
security "is not a concern with weapons
- it is a concern with human life and dignity".
The struggle for democracy and human rights
in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity.
It is a struggle that encompasses our political,
social and economic aspirations. The people
of my country want the two freedoms that spell
security: freedom from want and freedom from
war. It is want that has driven so many of our
young girls across our borders to a life of
sexual slavery where they are subject to constant
humiliation and ill-treatment. It is fear of
persecution for their political beliefs that
has made so many of our people feel that even
in their own homes they cannot live in dignity
and security.
Traditionally the home is the
domain of the woman. But there has never been
a guarantee that she can live out her life there
safe and unmolested. There are countless women
who are subjected to severe cruelty within the
heart of the family which should be their haven.
And in times of crisis when their menfolk are
unable to give them protection, women have to
face the harsh challenges of the world outside
while continuing to discharge their duties within
the home.
Many of my male colleagues who
have suffered imprisonment for their part in
the democracy movement have spoken of the great
debt of gratitude they owe their womenfolk,
particularly their wives, who stood by them
firmly, tender as mothers nursing their newly
born, brave as lionesses defending their young.
These magnificent human beings who have done
so much to aid their men in the struggle for
justice and peace - how much more could they
not achieve if given the opportunity to work
in their own right for the good of their country
and of the world?
Our endeavours have also been
sustained by the activities of strong and principled
women all over the world who have campaigned
not only for my own release but, more importantly,
for our cause. I cannot let this opportunity
pass without speaking of the gratitude we feel
towards our sisters everywhere, from heads of
governments to busy housewives. Their efforts
have been a triumphant demonstration of female
solidarity and of the power of an ideal to cross
all frontiers.
In my country at present, women
have no participation in the higher levels of
government and none whatsoever in the judiciary.
Even within the democratic movement only 14
out of the 485 MPs elected in 1990 were women
- all from my own party, the National League
for Democracy. These 14 women represent less
than 3 percent of the total number of successful
candidates. They, like their male colleagues,
have not been permitted to take office since
the outcome of those elections has been totally
ignored. Yet the very high performance of women
in our educational system and in the managment
of commercial enterprises proves their enormous
potential to contribute to the betterment of
society in general. Meanwhile our women have
yet to achieve those fundamental rights of free
expression, association and security of life
denied also to their menfolk.
The adversities that we have
had to face together have taught all of us involved
in the struggle to build a truly democratic
political system in Burma that there are no
gender barriers that cannot be overcome. The
relationship between men and women should, and
can be, characterized not by patronizing behavior
or exploitation, but by metta (that is to say
loving kindness), partnership and trust. We
need mutual respect and understanding between
men and women, instead of patriarchal domination
and degradation, which are expressions of violence
and engender counter-violence. We can learn
from each other and help one another to moderate
the "gender weaknesses" imposed on
us by traditional or biological factors.
There is an age old prejudice
the world over to the effect that women talk
too much. But is this really a weakness? Could
it not in fact be a strength? Recent scientific
research on the human brain has revealed that
women are better at verbal skills while men
tend towards physical action. Psychological
research has shown on the other hand that disinformation
engendered by men has far more damaging effect
on its victims than feminine gossip. Surely
these discoveries indicate that women have a
most valuable contribution to make in situations
of conflict, by leading the way to solutions
based on dialogue rather than on viciousness
or violence?
The Buddhist paravana ceremony
at the end of the rainy season retreat was instituted
by the Lord Buddha, who did not want human beings
to live in silence [I quote] "like dumb
animals". This ceremony, during which monks
ask mutual forgiveness for any offence given
during the retreat, can be said to be a council
of truth and reconciliation. It might also be
considered a forerunner of that most democratic
of institutions, the parliament, a meeting of
peoples gathered together to talk over their
shared problems. All the world's great religions
are dedicated to the generation of happiness
and harmony. This demonstrates the fact that
together with the combative instincts of man
there co-exists a spiritual aspiration for mutual
understanding and peace.
This forum of non-governmental
organizations represents the belief in the ability
of intelligent human beings to resolve conflicting
interests through exchange and dialogue. It
also represents the conviction that governments
alone cannot resolve all the problems of their
countries. The watchfulness and active cooperation
of organizations outside the spheres of officialdom
are necessary to ensure the four essential components
of the human development paradigm as identified
by the UNDP: productivity, equity, sustainability
and empowerment. The last is particularly relevant:
it requires that "development must be by
people, not only for them. People must participate
fully in the decisions and processes that shape
their lives." In other words people must
be allowed to play a significant role in the
governance of the country. And "people"
include women who make up at least half of the
world's population.
The last six years afforded
me much time and food for thought. I came to
the conclusion that the human race is not divided
into two opposing camps of good and evil. It
is made up of those who are capable of learning
and those who are incapable of doing so. Here
I am not talking of learning in the narrow sense
of acquiring an academic education, but of learning
as the process of absorbing those lessons of
life that enable us to increase peace and happiness
in our world. Women in their roles as mothers
have traditionally assumed the responsibility
of teaching children values that will guide
them throughout their lives. It is time we were
given the full opportunity to use our natural
teaching skills to contribute towards building
a modern world that can withstand the tremendous
challenges of the technological revolution which
has in turn brought revolutionary changes in
social values.
As we strive to teach others
we must have the humility to acknowledge that
we too still have much to learn. And we must
have the flexibility to adapt to the changing
needs of the world around us. Women who have
been taught that modesty and pliancy are among
the prized virtues of our gender are marvelously
equipped for the learning process. But they
must be given the opportunity to turn these
often merely passive virtues into positive assets
for the society in which they live.
These, then, are our common
hopes that unite us -- that as the shackles
of prejudice and intolerance fall from our own
limbs we can together strive to identify and
remove the impediments to human development
everywhere. The mechanisms by which this great
task is to be achieved provided the proper focus
of this great Forum. I feel sure that women
throughout the world who, like me, cannot be
with you join me now in sending you all our
prayers and good wishes for a joyful and productive
meeting.
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