Lyrical dictator: Than Shwe’s hidden talent

Wednesday, 01 September 2010 18:23 Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) – It would be difficult to conceive of a greater juxtaposition in one man: a military dictator and a musical lyricist, but that is what we find in junta leader Than Shwe, former military propagandist Mya Than San told Mizzima’s Myint Maung during an interview recently. Apparently the psychological warfare specialist and now former army general also wrote words for a propaganda song.

Than Shwe composed the song, Doh Mway Myay (Our Motherland). Is that true?

Yes, he wrote the lyrics.

How much time did you take to compose the melody and when?

It didn’t take too much time to compose. Musician Patrick designed the musical arrangement. We composed the song in 1992, nearly 19 years ago! So, the song is very old.

Where were you working at that time? Were the lyrics modified? Who sang the song?

I was working at one of the Ministry of Defence offices at the time. I wrote it on the orders of my superior officer, but I put my whole heart into it. The vocalists for the duet were Aung Yin and May Sweet, with music played by the band Aurora.

Do you know whether Than Shwe wrote other songs? If so, what kind of songs were they and how many songs did he write?

I don’t know whether he wrote other songs and I can’t say whether he loves singing because I don’t have a close relationship with him. I met him only while carrying out this duty.

We heard that you donated your payment to charity. When and how much did you donate and to whom?

I donated the proceeds on Saturday. I was awarded 1.5 million kyat (about US$1,500). I gave 100,000 kyat each to vocalists Sai Htee Sai, May Sweet, Khin Maung Htoo, Khine Htoo, Hay Mar Nay Win and Lay Lay Wah. And I gave 100,000 kyat to the Aurora Band and 500,000 kyat to my mother. I donated 300,000 kyat to the monastery I co-founded and 200,000 to some private journals. While I received 1.5 million kyat, I donated 1.7 million kyat. So, I spent 200,000 kyat of my own money.

Please explain in detail about the donations.

I wrote those songs out of duty, not for money. We do it for duty. To produce a good song, teamwork is very important. The composers, vocalists and band need to perform well. That’s why I shared some of the money I received with my colleagues.

How do you feel about propaganda songs?

I wrote those songs for the sake of people. It’s not only an art but also a duty. So, it’s important.

When did you join the army and at which departments did you work?

As soon as I finished my education, I joined the army. I served for two years in a heavy infantry unit, six years in light infantry and 11 years in the psychological warfare department.

Why have you decided not to compose songs anymore? Were you fed up with music? If the authorities told you to write propaganda songs again, would do it? What do you do at these days?

I’m very interested in (Buddhist) dhamma (doctrine). I’m just trying to live according to those teachings. I’ve already said that I will concentrate on religious works for the rest of my life.