It’s politics of high compromise in Myanmar. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s gesture to agree to take oath on the same format of wordings, to which she had earlier objected, as a matter of principle, will long be debated.

But the promising aspect is that she has once again opted for reconciliation, rather than create a standoff over the petty issue. The military written constitution seeks allegiance to its order, and had been a bone of contention for the elected representatives.

Suu Kyi, who decided to bury the hatchet as she went in to meet the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Yangon, rightly believes that the military tilted system could be rectified and reformed more by virtue of working within its parametres, rather than furthering the wedge with the powerful army establishment. The point stands acknowledged and appreciated. Perhaps, Suu Kyi’s model of rapprochement is unique in essence as she strives to pull out the country from the shadows of dictatorship and had thus comprehensively engaged with the generals. To what extent the newly elected parliament pushes the envelope, however, remains to be seen.

 The onus is now on the world community to reciprocate to the gestures of goodwill from the infant democratic society, and ensure that sanctions that have come to curtail growth and development are scrapped forthwith. The agenda before the world body shouldn’t be to fanfare with the concept of democracy but to devolve the ingredients of empowering the masses. Burmese resilience is in need of being rewarded.

Khaleej Times