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    Categories: Opinion

Lunatic generals refuse to open up gates

At least, the Myanmar’s military regime has granted access Friday to one of the US cargo planes carrying relief goods for the country’s thousands of cyclone victims. US diplomats said it was better than nothing.

But the continuous refusal of the military junta not to allow access to some international relief organizations now awaiting in Thailand, is something of a great concern. As the days drag on, the world is caught at a standstill because many more people get more hungry due to the unavailability of food, clean water, clothings and medicines. All the Christian world could hope is for the thousands of victims to hold on to their plight, while political negotiations are going on. Thailand has interceded to allow these humanitarian missions but to no avail.

The United Nations relief mission was the first group to be granted access to the country, since the cyclone devastation. But just the same, the relief workers were asked to sit on the sideline while the soldiers unloaded the relief goods from the UN cargo plane. This is something that most foreign missions are worried about because the military regime may just divert the relief goods for other purposes, instead of the cyclone victims. In this country, they have the power and the say as to what to do and what not to do.

This kind of thinking can be misconstrued as a manifestation of human lunacy and despotic rule that these generals think as endless. Nowhere can we find a country’s political system that is unpragmatic and insensitive to the wishes of the Burmese people whose future has remained salvaged by the political whims and caprices of a select few of military officials now controlling and imposing their will upon the will of the citizenry.

Ultimately, the military regime believe that their flesh and bones are made of steel that is hard to rot upon final judgment. Their ruthlessness in so far as political decisions are concerned is beyond comprehension. Perhaps, it is only the One above who may be able to decide the fate of these lunatic leaders of a once prosperous country, whose economy is reeling under the aegis of political turbulence that continues to bleed the hearts of most Burmese people, both those inside and outside. 

China, a friend and ally of the military regime, could barely pacify what its neighbor is doing. Perhaps, the former doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of Myanmar because it sees a lot of potentials for present and future explorations. Outside, the United States government continues to put in place economic sanctions against the military government until it softens its hardline stance.

The least that the United Nations can do, perhaps, is to discipline its rogue member so that it may be forced to sit at the table and make the much needed reforms. Otherwise, the UN can just dismember it, should it continues to be oppressive and nonsensical to the needs of the people.

Al Jeratso: Al Jeratso is a freelance journalist, writer, poet and blogger. Many of his articles, touching on a wide variety of issues, appeared in major leading dailies and magazines both in Manila and abroad, including the United States and England. He held various editorial positions with several media organizations, the last of which was as senior news editor of a newswires organization in Manila.
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