Amartya Sen reminds India, appeasing tyrants has a price

Friday, 06 August 2010 01:22 B. K. Sen

Amartya Sen while delivering a lecture on the “Centrality of Literacy” said in the presence of India’s PM that he disapproved of the nation’s policy on Burma.

“I do not agree with your policy on Burma. In a democratic country like India, I can say this to the Prime Minister,” he said in a remark that came close on the heels of New Delhi playing host to Burma’s military ruler, Senior General Than Shwe.

Over the years, Than Shwe has been slammed across the world for his scant regard for democratic norms and horrifying human rights abuses of which there are instances galore. A few for example: pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Su Kyi has been kept under house arrest and barred from contesting the elections slated for later this year; about 2,000 political leaders are being kept in jail; ethnic Shan leaders have been imprisoned in a far-flung jail on trumped up charges; hundreds of Buddhist monks are also behind bars; the result of the 1990 elections in which Su Kyi won landslide victory have been annulled and a fake election is being staged.

The junta has subverted the rule of law, destroyed its judiciary and transformed the country into a police state in the course of its rule of nearly half a century.

India’s diplomacy is understandable; it wants to ward off China’s growing influence and it wants energy security. However, history bears testimony that appeasement and engagement is never a sound policy for dealing with tyrants.

Also India cannot repudiate its tradition of lending a helping hand to all democratic countries and countries fighting to establish democratic order within. Indian government leaders who are now friendly with the junta’s leaders must nudge them to initiate genuine political reforms in the country so that a democratic state emerges. A vibrant neighbouring democratic state is conducive to India’s well-being.

The message Amartya Sen wanted to send to the prime minister was that Indian leaders ought to be more pro-active in the matter of the promotion of democracy in Burma. India’s uncritical embrace of the junta leaders will tarnish the image of India. Let the junta leaders understand that they have to prioritise the need for national reconciliation before the general election is held.